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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. land — ground
  3. branch — a division
  4. swing — in golf
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. land — to come down
  7. content — the amount
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. tube — a container
  10. content — happy
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — to play on
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bark — to shout
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — the underground
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. wind — moving air
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. land — a country
  24. content — videos and posts

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