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: scale · content · lash · band · net · hand · squash · current

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. scale — size or range
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. scale — in music
  6. hand — help
  7. net — in sport
  8. current — happening now
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. squash — to crush
  11. net — after costs
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. content — the amount
  14. squash — the sport
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. net — for catching
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a music group
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. hand — in cards

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