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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. face — to point toward
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. club — for golf
  6. field — farmland
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. spring — a coil
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. club — a group
  12. spring — of water
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — part of the head
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — for sport
  17. content — happy
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. content — the amount
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. club — for dancing
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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