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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. spring — the season
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wound — an injury
  7. spring — of water
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. can — a tin
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. present — a gift
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. snap — to click
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. can — a tin
  19. kick — in football
  20. present — the time now
  21. can — to be able to
  22. present — there
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. perch — the fish

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