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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. content — happy
  3. band — a ring
  4. shower — rain
  5. band — a music group
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. content — the amount
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. shower — to wash
  13. stock — goods
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. stock — shares
  16. fall — to drop
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. fall — the season
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. kick — in football
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. band — a rubber band

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