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 120 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. cue — a signal
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pop — soda
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. cue — for pool
  9. spring — the season
  10. pop — to visit
  11. land — ground
  12. spring — of water
  13. cue — a hint
  14. land — a country
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. land — to come down
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — to tire
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wind — to turn a key

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