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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. club — a group
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. shower — to wash
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. shower — rain
  10. club — for golf
  11. craft — a skill
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. club — for dancing
  14. cold — not warm
  15. clip — to cut
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. clip — a video
  18. staff — a stick
  19. cold — an illness
  20. spring — of water
  21. staff — employees
  22. clip — for paper
  23. staff — employees
  24. craft — boats

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