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 120 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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. firm — a company
  4. content — happy
  5. firm — decided
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. cold — not warm
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wake — a trail
  14. cold — an illness
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. saw — the tool
  18. firm — steady
  19. bound — certain
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bound — tied together
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bound — obliged
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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