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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. branch — a division
  3. bore — to tire
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. spring — of water
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. march — the month
  9. game — a match
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. key — for a lock
  14. spring — the season
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bore — to drill
  17. key — in music
  18. march — the month
  19. game — wild animals
  20. march — music
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. key — the most important part
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. branch — of a bank

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