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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. tube — the underground
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — in sport
  6. hand — help
  7. sharp — clever
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. suit — to fit
  16. hand — in cards
  17. scale — size or range
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. suit — in cards
  21. suit — clothes
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. tube — a container
  24. sharp — exactly

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