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: bass · mine · cabinet · cap · rush · content · tear · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. cap — a hat
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wound — an injury
  8. content — the amount
  9. bass — the fish
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. content — happy
  13. cap — of ice
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bass — low music
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. rush — hurry
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. cap — a lid

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