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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — a lid
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. cap — of ice
  6. fine — high quality
  7. spring — a coil
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. spring — of water
  10. content — the amount
  11. row — a line
  12. present — there
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. row — to paddle
  16. net — in sport
  17. spring — the season
  18. present — the time now
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. present — a gift
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. content — happy

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