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: season · bay · content · foot · cold · spell · bulb · bound

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. spell — letters
  3. foot — a measure
  4. content — happy
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. bound — tied together
  7. season — in sport
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. spell — magic
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bound — certain
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. spell — a short time
  18. season — of the year
  19. content — the amount
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. content — videos and posts

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