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: wake · content · rule · hand · bound · ball · rock · kick

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  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. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. content — happy
  3. rock — music
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. content — the amount
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bound — certain
  10. hand — help
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. rock — a stone
  14. hand — in cards
  15. kick — in football
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bound — tied together
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — government
  20. bound — obliged
  21. wake — a trail
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. ball — a great time
  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