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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. pop — soda
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. perch — the fish
  14. board — to get on
  15. pop — music
  16. rash — a series
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. rash — hasty
  19. content — the amount
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — an illness
  23. board — a committee
  24. rash — on the skin

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