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 116 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. cap — a hat
  4. key — in music
  5. wind — moving air
  6. clip — a video
  7. fall — to drop
  8. key — for a lock
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. wind — moving air
  11. spring — of water
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. key — the most important part
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. spring — a coil
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cap — of ice
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. fall — the season
  24. cap — a lid

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