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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rock — music
  3. net — for catching
  4. content — happy
  5. file — a document
  6. content — the amount
  7. track — a song
  8. land — ground
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bound — obliged
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. track — a path
  13. track — to keep track
  14. file — a tool
  15. root — of a word
  16. net — after costs
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — the cause
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bound — tied together
  22. net — in sport
  23. land — a country
  24. bound — certain

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