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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. drill — a practice
  3. lean — thin
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. content — happy
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. content — the amount
  9. lean — to bend
  10. clip — a video
  11. rest — a break
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rest — what's left
  17. clip — to cut
  18. rest — what's left
  19. drill — army training
  20. wind — moving air
  21. drill — the tool
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. clip — for paper

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