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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. pit — a hole
  3. content — happy
  4. net — after costs
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. mug — a cup
  7. fall — to drop
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — to cut
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. mug — a face
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. clip — for paper
  20. fall — the season
  21. pit — in a race
  22. fall — to drop
  23. content — the amount
  24. pitcher — a jug

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