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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. mug — to rob
  3. hand — in cards
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. rule — government
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. mug — a face
  10. cap — of ice
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. cap — a hat
  15. hand — help
  16. content — the amount
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rule — a law
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. cap — a lid

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