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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. march — the month
  4. current — of water
  5. current — electric
  6. spell — a short time
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. spell — magic
  10. march — the month
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. hand — in cards
  14. prune — to trim
  15. spell — letters
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. current — happening now
  18. hand — help
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. content — happy
  23. march — music
  24. content — the amount

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