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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. shower — to wash
  3. squash — the sport
  4. roll — a list
  5. can — to be able to
  6. mate — to breed
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mate — a friend
  10. rash — a series
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. squash — to crush
  15. can — a tin
  16. spring — the season
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. fine — high quality
  21. roll — a cake
  22. rash — hasty
  23. mate — a partner
  24. shower — rain

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