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 124 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. spell — magic
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. drill — a practice
  8. spell — a short time
  9. staff — employees
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. content — happy
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. drill — the tool
  16. wax — to grow
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. spell — letters
  21. snap — to click
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. staff — employees
  24. drill — army training

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