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 116 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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the fish
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. cap — a hat
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. stock — goods
  15. content — the amount
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — of water
  19. mug — to rob
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — a face
  23. bat — the animal
  24. stock — shares

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