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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. last — finally
  4. season — of the year
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bass — the fish
  7. last — to go on
  8. club — a group
  9. fall — to drop
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. club — for golf
  13. bass — low music
  14. club — for dancing
  15. fall — the season
  16. saw — the tool
  17. season — in sport
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. last — final
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mine — for digging
  23. content — happy
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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