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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cold — not warm
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. content — the amount
  15. roll — a list
  16. cold — an illness
  17. roll — a cake
  18. land — a country
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. spring — a coil
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. cue — a signal
  24. content — happy

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