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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spell — a short time
  3. mate — to breed
  4. season — of the year
  5. spring — of water
  6. mate — a friend
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — for sport
  10. squash — the sport
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. spell — magic
  13. spring — a coil
  14. season — in sport
  15. court — of law
  16. mate — a partner
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. squash — to crush
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. spell — letters
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cold — an illness

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