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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. perch — the fish
  3. swing — music
  4. spring — the season
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. net — for catching
  7. rule — government
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. spring — a coil
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. swing — in golf
  12. net — after costs
  13. season — of the year
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. swing — to play on
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. season — in sport
  18. tube — the underground
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. net — in sport
  21. tube — a container
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rule — a law
  24. wave — with your hand

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