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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — happy
  4. key — for a lock
  5. firm — steady
  6. firm — decided
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. last — to go on
  10. key — in music
  11. last — finally
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. last — final
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bat — the animal
  20. key — the most important part
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — completely
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. firm — a company

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