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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. kick — in football
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. prune — to trim
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — help
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. tear — from crying
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. board — a committee
  13. tear — from crying
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. tear — to rip
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — belonging to me

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