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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pound — a weight
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. tube — a container
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. rock — music
  9. bass — the fish
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. spring — of water
  13. bass — low music
  14. content — happy
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. tube — the underground
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. stand — to bear
  19. rock — a stone
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — the season
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. straw — dry grass

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