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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. season — in sport
  4. track — a path
  5. spring — the season
  6. track — to keep track
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. spring — a coil
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. ball — a dance
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. rash — hasty
  18. ball — a great time
  19. spring — of water
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bear — the animal
  22. rash — a series
  23. season — of the year
  24. rash — on the skin

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