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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. kid — child
  3. tube — the underground
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. mine — for digging
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. kid — to tease
  10. content — the amount
  11. season — in sport
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. tube — a container
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. content — happy
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — low music
  23. season — of the year
  24. stem — to come from

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