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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. drill — army training
  4. ball — a great time
  5. spring — of water
  6. pit — in a race
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. drill — a practice
  11. ball — a dance
  12. spring — a coil
  13. fork — in a road
  14. spring — the season
  15. drill — the tool
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. pit — a hole
  18. 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