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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. lean — thin
  6. dip — to sink
  7. mate — a friend
  8. content — the amount
  9. lean — to bend
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bass — the fish
  17. mate — to breed
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bat — the animal
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bass — low music
  24. leaves — to go away

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