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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. content — the amount
  5. mate — to breed
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. tube — a container
  10. mate — a friend
  11. hand — help
  12. mate — a partner
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. tube — the underground
  15. dip — to sink
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. hand — in cards
  18. chair — a leader
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. craft — a skill
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. content — happy
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. chair — a professorship

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