ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. scale — in music
  4. cold — an illness
  5. content — happy
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. shower — rain
  8. scale — size or range
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. bulb — for light
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. shower — to wash
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cold — not warm
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bulb — for light
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. content — the amount
  22. lie — to recline
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bulb — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com