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 116 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. lean — thin
  5. court — of law
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rash — hasty
  8. court — for sport
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. pit — in a race
  11. court — of a king
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. snap — to click
  14. rash — a series
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bear — the animal
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. lean — to bend
  21. content — the amount
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. pit — a hole

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