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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bound — certain
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. spell — letters
  5. bound — tied together
  6. file — a line of people
  7. game — wild animals
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. spell — magic
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. game — a match
  14. file — a document
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. spell — a short time
  17. file — a tool
  18. content — happy
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bound — obliged
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. nail — on a finger

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