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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. hand — help
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. present — the time now
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — the amount
  8. bear — the animal
  9. content — happy
  10. present — a gift
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. last — final
  13. hand — in cards
  14. root — the cause
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. present — there
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bear — the animal
  21. tube — a container
  22. pitch — completely
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — of a word

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