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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. firm — a company
  5. wake — a trail
  6. row — a line
  7. tube — a container
  8. row — to paddle
  9. content — the amount
  10. game — a match
  11. spell — letters
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. spell — a short time
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. tube — the underground
  18. rush — hurry
  19. spell — magic
  20. firm — steady
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. content — happy
  23. firm — decided
  24. game — wild animals

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