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 116 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a cup
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cap — a lid
  5. spring — the season
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bear — the animal
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. wind — moving air
  12. spring — of water
  13. game — a match
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. game — wild animals
  18. cap — of ice
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mug — a face
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. spring — a coil

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