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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. foot — a measure
  3. kick — in football
  4. spring — the season
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rash — hasty
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cue — a signal
  13. rash — a series
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. hand — help
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. tear — to rip
  18. deal — to handle
  19. hand — in cards
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — for pool
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. spring — a coil

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