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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. track — a song
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. spring — a coil
  5. track — to keep track
  6. fine — all right
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. spring — the season
  10. swing — in golf
  11. shower — rain
  12. last — finally
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. fine — high quality
  16. swing — music
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. spring — of water
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — final
  21. swing — to play on
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. track — a path

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