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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. firm — decided
  6. spring — a coil
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. firm — steady
  10. cold — not warm
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. spring — the season
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cue — a hint
  15. firm — a company
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cue — for pool
  19. bat — the animal
  20. season — in sport
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bat — for baseball

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