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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. track — a path
  3. staff — employees
  4. track — a song
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. spring — of water
  8. content — happy
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. suit — to fit
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. suit — clothes
  16. cell — a phone
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. staff — a stick
  19. spring — a coil
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. suit — in cards
  22. cell — in biology
  23. staff — employees
  24. content — the amount

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