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

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. rock — music
  3. spring — a coil
  4. chest — a box
  5. track — a path
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. spring — of water
  8. row — to paddle
  9. chest — of your body
  10. drill — army training
  11. track — to keep track
  12. chest — of your body
  13. track — a song
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. rock — a stone
  18. row — a line

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