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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. sharp — clever
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. season — in sport
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. stem — to come from
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. track — a song
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. spring — the season
  15. chip — to eat
  16. content — the amount
  17. chip — for betting
  18. track — a path
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. season — of the year
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. track — to keep track
  24. vault — a safe

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