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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. content — happy
  5. content — the amount
  6. scale — size or range
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. ground — crushed
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. scale — in music
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. stem — to come from
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. calf — a young animal

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