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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. tube — a container
  3. pop — soda
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. tube — the underground
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. field — farmland
  14. chest — a box
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — to shout
  18. content — happy
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. field — for sport
  21. content — the amount
  22. field — a subject
  23. pitch — completely
  24. tube — in a tire

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