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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. chest — of your body
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. pop — music
  9. chest — a box
  10. content — happy
  11. chest — of your body
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pop — to visit
  15. date — the fruit
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. kid — child
  18. pop — soda
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. content — the amount
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kick — in football

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