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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. saw — the tool
  3. root — of a plant
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — of water
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. saw — the tool
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. scale — size or range
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. mine — for digging
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. spring — a coil
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. scale — in music
  20. hand — in cards
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. root — the cause
  23. hand — help
  24. root — of a word

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