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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: foot · shower · perch · mine · cabinet · roll · content · bound

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bound — tied together
  4. foot — a measure
  5. roll — a cake
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bound — certain
  8. perch — the fish
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. roll — a list
  13. shower — to wash
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — happy
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. shower — rain
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bound — obliged
  24. content — the amount

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