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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — of water
  3. clip — a video
  4. rock — a stone
  5. bore — to tire
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — the cause
  10. content — the amount
  11. court — of a king
  12. content — happy
  13. spring — a coil
  14. fall — the season
  15. court — of law
  16. clip — to cut
  17. root — of a word
  18. bore — to drill
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — music
  23. court — for sport
  24. fall — to drop

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