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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. root — of a word
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. court — for sport
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bound — certain
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bound — obliged
  11. root — of a plant
  12. content — happy
  13. board — a committee
  14. present — a gift
  15. bound — tied together
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. present — the time now
  19. root — the cause
  20. present — there
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. court — of a king
  23. wake — a trail
  24. court — of law

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