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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  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. spring — of water
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. stem — to come from
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. spring — the season
  10. branch — a division
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. swing — to play on
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. pitch — completely
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. swing — in golf
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. swing — music
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. date — the fruit
  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