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 120 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: tube · pass · face · deal · content · row · game · perch

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — to paddle
  5. game — wild animals
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. deal — to handle
  8. tube — the underground
  9. face — to confront
  10. row — a line
  11. tube — a container
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — a permit
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. perch — the fish
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. content — the amount
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. game — a match
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. pass — to spend time

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