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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. spring — a coil
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. mine — for digging
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. spring — the season
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cap — a lid
  16. spring — of water
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cold — not warm
  22. season — in sport
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. cap — a hat

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