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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. lean — thin
  3. mate — a partner
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. chest — a box
  6. charge — electricity
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. spell — letters
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. charge — in control
  11. sharp — clever
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — a short time
  15. mate — to breed
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — happy
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. chest — of your body
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. charge — a price

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