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 120 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. degree — an amount
  3. track — to keep track
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. suit — to fit
  6. plane — a tool
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. track — a path
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. suit — clothes
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. degree — temperature
  14. spring — of water
  15. cell — a phone
  16. suit — in cards
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. degree — from a university
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. cell — in biology
  23. season — in sport
  24. track — a song

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