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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — the amount
  3. court — of law
  4. kid — to tease
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bear — the animal
  7. kid — child
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rule — a law
  12. pit — in a race
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bear — the animal
  15. court — for sport
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. court — of a king
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. rule — government
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pit — a hole

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