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 to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. spring — a coil
  3. track — a song
  4. spring — the season
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. content — the amount
  9. race — the arms race
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. craft — boats
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. spring — of water
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. track — to keep track
  17. craft — a skill
  18. wind — moving air
  19. sharp — clever
  20. content — happy
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. dip — to sink
  24. track — a path

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