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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. deal — to handle
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. scale — size or range
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. lie — to recline
  11. fall — the season
  12. stem — to come from
  13. scale — in music
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bear — the animal
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. fall — to drop
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. fall — to drop
  22. content — the amount
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. fan — to cool the air

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