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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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. game — a match
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. drill — the tool
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. land — to come down
  8. bear — the animal
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. drill — a practice
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. game — wild animals
  18. stand — to bear
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. land — a country
  21. drill — army training
  22. land — ground
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — thin

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