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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. toast — bread
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — for betting
  6. spring — a coil
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pound — a weight
  10. court — of a king
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. court — of law
  13. content — the amount
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. content — happy
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. court — for sport
  20. spring — the season
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. spring — of water
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — in cards

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