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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. drill — army training
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. drill — the tool
  5. rock — music
  6. content — happy
  7. rock — a stone
  8. kid — child
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. land — to come down
  11. kid — to tease
  12. content — the amount
  13. land — ground
  14. drill — a practice
  15. mark — a trace
  16. scale — in music
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. land — a country
  19. mark — a grade
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. chair — a leader
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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