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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. tear — from crying
  7. net — after costs
  8. tear — from crying
  9. net — in sport
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. spring — the season
  13. net — for catching
  14. band — a music group
  15. spring — a coil
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. band — a ring
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. scale — size or range
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. scale — in music
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. tear — to rip

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