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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. spring — of water
  3. shower — to wash
  4. present — the time now
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. shower — rain
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. clip — a video
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. roll — a cake
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. spring — the season
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. present — there
  18. mine — for digging
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. present — a gift

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