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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. face — to confront
  4. file — a document
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. roll — a list
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. degree — temperature
  10. toast — bread
  11. face — part of the head
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. degree — from a university
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. face — to point toward
  17. degree — an amount
  18. content — happy
  19. stem — to come from
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. file — a line of people
  22. roll — a cake
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. file — a tool

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