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: rock · bark · deal · content · scale · ball · mine · plane

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. rock — music
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. ball — a dance
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. deal — to handle
  13. rock — a stone
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. ball — a great time
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — to shout
  20. mine — for digging
  21. content — happy
  22. scale — in music
  23. content — the amount
  24. plane — a tool

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