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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. cue — a signal
  3. spell — magic
  4. land — to come down
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. swing — in golf
  7. season — in sport
  8. spell — letters
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. swing — music
  11. spell — a short time
  12. season — of the year
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — for money
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. cue — a hint
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. land — ground
  21. land — a country
  22. bank — of a river
  23. cue — for pool
  24. swing — to play on

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