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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. net — for catching
  5. can — a tin
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. lie — to recline
  8. content — happy
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. content — the amount
  20. can — to be able to
  21. row — a line
  22. chest — of your body
  23. can — a tin
  24. chest — a box

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