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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. content — happy
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. rash — hasty
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. club — for dancing
  10. mug — a cup
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. land — ground
  14. root — of a word
  15. mug — a face
  16. land — a country
  17. mug — to rob
  18. rash — a series
  19. root — the cause
  20. club — a group
  21. root — of a plant
  22. club — for golf
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. land — to come down

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