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: wake · chest · mine · bear · content · pitcher · nail · bowl

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. content — happy
  9. wake — a trail
  10. chest — of your body
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bear — the animal
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bear — the animal
  24. chest — a box

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