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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rash — hasty
  12. present — there
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. present — a gift
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wake — a trail
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. content — happy
  22. present — the time now
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. rash — a series

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