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 · face · pitcher · cell · fan · lash · spell

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. content — the amount
  3. spell — letters
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — to point toward
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. scale — size or range
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. scale — in music
  15. spell — magic
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. spell — a short time
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in biology
  21. face — part of the head
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. content — happy

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