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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. march — music
  3. fall — the season
  4. squash — to crush
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pound — a weight
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. game — a match
  9. fall — to drop
  10. squash — the sport
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. march — the month
  15. content — the amount
  16. mark — a grade
  17. current — happening now
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. content — happy
  20. current — of water
  21. current — electric
  22. march — the month
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. game — wild animals

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