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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. current — of water
  3. pound — a weight
  4. spring — of water
  5. content — happy
  6. rule — a law
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. fine — high quality
  9. swing — in golf
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. game — wild animals
  13. fine — all right
  14. rule — government
  15. game — a match
  16. current — happening now
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. swing — to play on
  19. spring — a coil
  20. current — electric
  21. swing — music
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. spring — the season

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