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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pop — music
  5. saw — the tool
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. ball — a great time
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. spring — a coil
  14. field — farmland
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. spring — of water
  18. ball — a dance
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. pop — soda
  21. saw — the tool
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — a tool
  24. pop — to visit

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