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 120 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. content — the amount
  3. ball — a dance
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. net — after costs
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. content — happy
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. vault — a safe
  12. mate — a friend
  13. net — in sport
  14. stem — to come from
  15. ball — a great time
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. net — for catching
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. cell — in biology
  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