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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. cold — an illness
  3. content — the amount
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. track — to keep track
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. firm — decided
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. track — a path
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. content — happy
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. tube — the underground
  17. cold — not warm
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. firm — a company
  20. track — a song
  21. firm — steady
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. cold — the Cold War

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