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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. content — happy
  3. degree — an amount
  4. present — there
  5. spell — magic
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. stock — goods
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. degree — from a university
  12. present — the time now
  13. spell — a short time
  14. face — to point toward
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. present — a gift
  17. face — part of the head
  18. spell — letters
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. face — to confront
  21. degree — temperature
  22. content — the amount
  23. wake — a trail
  24. stock — shares

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