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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. can — to be able to
  3. spell — a short time
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cue — for pool
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — the amount
  8. degree — an amount
  9. cue — a signal
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. content — happy
  12. shower — to wash
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. spell — magic
  15. cue — a hint
  16. shower — rain
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. degree — from a university
  20. roll — a cake
  21. degree — temperature
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. roll — a list
  24. spell — letters

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