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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. current — of water
  3. tube — a container
  4. current — happening now
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — boats
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cold — an illness
  10. current — electric
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. content — the amount
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. cold — not warm
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. capital — a city
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. capital — money
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. tube — the underground

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