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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. content — happy
  3. squash — to crush
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. key — in music
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. content — the amount
  8. dip — to sink
  9. key — for a lock
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — a list
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. hand — help
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. hand — in cards
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. key — the most important part
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. nail — on a finger

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