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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. content — the amount
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. object — an aim
  8. pop — music
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. object — a thing
  11. object — to protest
  12. pop — to visit
  13. season — of the year
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. last — finally
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. face — to confront
  18. stem — to come from
  19. last — final
  20. board — a committee
  21. last — to go on
  22. face — to point toward
  23. pop — soda
  24. face — part of the head

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