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 124 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. track — to keep track
  3. spring — the season
  4. content — the amount
  5. staff — a stick
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mate — a partner
  8. spring — of water
  9. tube — the underground
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. spring — a coil
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. staff — employees
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. mate — to breed
  18. staff — employees
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. mate — a friend
  21. content — happy
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitch — completely
  24. tube — a container

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