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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. content — happy
  3. spring — of water
  4. firm — steady
  5. chest — of your body
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. spring — the season
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. key — in music
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. vault — a safe
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. content — the amount
  15. key — for a lock
  16. chest — of your body
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. firm — a company
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. sharp — clever
  21. key — the most important part
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. spring — a coil
  24. chest — a box

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