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: bark · straw · content · safe · wind · lie · spring · roll

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. roll — a cake
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. spring — a coil
  7. roll — a list
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. wind — moving air
  10. spring — the season
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. lie — to recline
  14. content — the amount
  15. bark — to shout
  16. wind — moving air
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. spring — of water
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. content — videos and posts

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