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 116 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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. kid — child
  4. shower — to wash
  5. field — farmland
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. ground — a position
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. prune — to trim
  11. suit — clothes
  12. suit — to fit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. field — for sport
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. ground — crushed
  18. field — a subject
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. kid — to tease
  21. suit — in cards
  22. shower — rain
  23. ground — the earth
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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