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 120 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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. chest — a box
  3. cell — a phone
  4. last — to go on
  5. content — happy
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. chest — of your body
  8. face — part of the head
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. last — finally
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pass — a permit
  13. content — the amount
  14. face — to confront
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. last — final
  18. face — to point toward
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. cell — in biology
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wound — an injury
  24. snap — to click

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