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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. cell — a phone
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. content — the amount
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. cell — in biology
  19. fall — the season
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bark — to shout
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. kick — in football

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