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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. hand — help
  3. content — the amount
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. toast — bread
  12. cold — an illness
  13. content — happy
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. cold — not warm
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. rash — on the skin

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