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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. content — happy
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. tube — a container
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. rush — hurry
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — the season
  9. net — in sport
  10. wound — an injury
  11. net — for catching
  12. spring — of water
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. net — after costs
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. tube — the underground
  20. content — the amount
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — to hurry

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