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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. track — a path
  4. content — happy
  5. content — the amount
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a ring
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bank — for money
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. dip — to sink
  13. band — a music group
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. track — a song
  18. bank — of a river
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. capital — a city
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. capital — money
  23. bank — for money
  24. mine — for digging

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