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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. ball — a dance
  3. spring — of water
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. scale — in music
  6. spell — magic
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. spring — the season
  10. stand — to bear
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. degree — temperature
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. spell — a short time
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. ball — a great time
  17. saw — the tool
  18. spell — letters
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — from a university
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. saw — the tool
  24. stand — on your feet

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