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: toast · land · last · content · cap · rash · cue · bark

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. last — final
  3. land — a country
  4. content — happy
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — a signal
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. last — to go on
  10. rash — hasty
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. last — finally
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. land — ground
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — a hat
  21. content — the amount
  22. rash — a series
  23. toast — bread
  24. bark — to shout

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