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: row · content · mark · date · bark · wave · craft · bass

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. content — happy
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bass — the fish
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. row — a line
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — the amount
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. mark — a trace
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bass — low music
  20. row — to paddle
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bark — to shout
  23. date — the fruit
  24. craft — boats

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