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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. land — a country
  5. object — an aim
  6. cold — not warm
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. pit — a hole
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. land — to come down
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. object — to protest
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. stand — to bear
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. land — ground
  19. content — the amount
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. object — a thing
  23. pit — in a race
  24. cold — an illness

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