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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. rest — a break
  3. fall — the season
  4. content — happy
  5. sharp — clever
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bulb — for light
  9. content — the amount
  10. pit — a hole
  11. file — a line of people
  12. pit — in a race
  13. file — a tool
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rest — what's left
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. fall — to drop
  19. rest — what's left
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bulb — for light
  22. file — a document
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bulb — of a plant

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