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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. present — there
  3. content — the amount
  4. object — a thing
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. file — a tool
  7. object — an aim
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. current — happening now
  11. present — a gift
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. object — to protest
  14. hand — in cards
  15. present — the time now
  16. content — happy
  17. current — of water
  18. current — electric
  19. scale — in music
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bark — to shout
  22. file — a document
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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