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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. charge — electricity
  8. cold — not warm
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cold — an illness
  14. mate — a friend
  15. charge — a price
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a partner
  19. stem — to come from
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. charge — in control
  23. content — happy
  24. bass — the instrument

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