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 120 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: net · content · wound · chair · leaves · plane · ball · arm

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. ball — a great time
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. net — after costs
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. wound — an injury
  11. chair — a leader
  12. ball — a dance
  13. net — in sport
  14. plane — a tool
  15. content — happy
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. net — for catching
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. wound — an injury
  24. ball — a round shape

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