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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. land — ground
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. spell — magic
  6. content — happy
  7. bulb — for light
  8. land — a country
  9. spell — a short time
  10. staff — employees
  11. land — to come down
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — low music
  14. spell — letters
  15. staff — a stick
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. drill — army training
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. sharp — clever
  20. staff — employees
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bulb — for light

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