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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — a coil
  4. content — the amount
  5. row — a line
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. spring — the season
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — happy
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. staff — a stick
  17. row — to paddle
  18. staff — employees
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. staff — employees
  23. march — music
  24. rush — hurry

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