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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. mug — to rob
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. spring — the season
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mug — a face
  9. mine — for digging
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. spring — of water
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. spring — a coil
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. kid — child
  18. mine — belonging to me

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