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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. rock — a stone
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bulb — for light
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. rock — music
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. content — the amount
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. last — finally
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. cold — not warm
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cold — an illness
  19. board — to get on
  20. bulb — for light
  21. season — of the year
  22. board — a committee
  23. last — to go on
  24. content — happy

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