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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — the amount
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. snap — to click
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. spell — letters
  7. bank — for money
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a path
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. spell — magic
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. scale — in music
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. track — a song
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. deal — to handle
  24. spell — a short time

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