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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. shower — rain
  3. pop — to visit
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — farmland
  6. pop — music
  7. content — happy
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. shower — to wash
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. dip — to sink
  12. field — for sport
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. pop — soda
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — to get on
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. arm — part of the body

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