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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. kid — child
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — hasty
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. court — of law
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — happy
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. court — for sport
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. roll — a list
  19. content — the amount
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. rash — a series
  22. kid — to tease
  23. pound — a weight
  24. court — of a king

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