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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. content — happy
  3. rest — a break
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. ball — a great time
  7. rest — what's left
  8. content — the amount
  9. charge — a price
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. charge — in control
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. roll — a list
  17. roll — a cake
  18. charge — electricity
  19. season — in sport
  20. rest — what's left
  21. ball — a dance
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ball — a round shape

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