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 120 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. wind — moving air
  6. spring — of water
  7. charge — in control
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bark — to shout
  13. spring — the season
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. wind — moving air
  20. charge — a price
  21. kid — child
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — a football final

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