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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. snap — to click
  3. mate — a friend
  4. field — farmland
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. can — a tin
  7. field — a subject
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. mate — a partner
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — the fish
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. field — for sport
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bass — low music
  18. spring — a coil
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. spring — the season
  22. prune — to trim
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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