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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. firm — a company
  3. clip — for paper
  4. race — humankind
  5. content — the amount
  6. clip — to cut
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. clip — a video
  10. can — to be able to
  11. pound — a weight
  12. firm — steady
  13. can — a tin
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. firm — decided
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. rest — a break
  19. rash — a series
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — a contest
  23. rash — hasty
  24. can — a tin

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