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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bear — the animal
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. chest — a box
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bound — certain
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. ball — a great time
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — to shout
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bear — the animal
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. game — a kind of play

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