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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. content — the amount
  4. scale — size or range
  5. content — happy
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. face — to confront
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. press — newspapers
  11. foot — a measure
  12. face — to point toward
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. press — to push
  17. press — a publisher
  18. mine — for digging
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bulb — for light
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bulb — for light

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