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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mine — for digging
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rash — a series
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. spring — of water
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bear — the animal
  13. spring — the season
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. pit — in a race
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. rash — hasty
  19. spring — a coil
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pit — a hole
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rush — hurry
  24. spell — magic

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