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 116 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bat — the animal
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. row — to paddle
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bark — to shout
  10. dip — to sink
  11. ball — a dance
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. content — the amount
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. chip — for betting
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. row — a line
  18. land — a country
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. ball — a great time
  22. land — ground
  23. content — happy
  24. bat — for baseball

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