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: content · clip · fork · toast · season · swing · ball · dip

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. toast — bread
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. ball — a great time
  5. content — happy
  6. clip — for paper
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. content — the amount
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. swing — music
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. season — in sport
  14. ball — a dance
  15. swing — in golf
  16. season — of the year
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. dip — to sink

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