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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. track — a path
  4. track — a song
  5. key — the most important part
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bear — the animal
  8. tube — a container
  9. key — in music
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. spring — the season
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. kid — to tease
  15. ball — a dance
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. track — to keep track
  21. key — for a lock
  22. kid — child
  23. bear — the animal
  24. tube — the underground

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