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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bear — the animal
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. last — to go on
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. spring — of water
  9. bear — the animal
  10. swing — in golf
  11. spring — the season
  12. hand — in cards
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. hand — help
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — to play on
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. last — final
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. last — finally
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. spring — a coil

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