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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. staff — a stick
  6. pop — soda
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. pop — music
  9. craft — boats
  10. mark — a grade
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. craft — a skill
  14. pop — to visit
  15. staff — employees
  16. mark — a trace
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. staff — employees
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. spring — the season
  22. shower — rain
  23. spring — of water
  24. patient — a sick person

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