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 124 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. spring — the season
  3. firm — decided
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. spring — a coil
  7. pop — soda
  8. spring — of water
  9. scale — in music
  10. clip — a video
  11. can — a tin
  12. pop — music
  13. firm — steady
  14. clip — for paper
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. can — to be able to
  17. clip — to cut
  18. rule — government
  19. scale — size or range
  20. mine — for digging
  21. can — a tin
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. firm — a company
  24. rule — a law

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