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: chest · mate · foot · bulb · pop · perch · content · rule

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. perch — the fish
  3. content — happy
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. rule — government
  7. mate — a partner
  8. chest — a box
  9. foot — a measure
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pop — music
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. bulb — for light
  14. content — the amount
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. mate — a friend
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. chest — of your body
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pop — to visit
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rule — a law
  24. chest — of your body

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