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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. kid — child
  3. craft — boats
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cell — in biology
  7. mug — a face
  8. spring — the season
  9. kid — to tease
  10. row — a line
  11. spring — of water
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mug — to rob
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. cell — a phone
  16. mug — a cup
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spring — a coil
  21. craft — a skill
  22. row — to paddle
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. hide — animal 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