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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. spring — of water
  3. key — in music
  4. key — the most important part
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pound — a weight
  14. spring — the season
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. content — happy
  18. stock — shares
  19. key — for a lock
  20. content — the amount
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. stock — goods
  24. bear — the animal

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