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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. spring — of water
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. land — ground
  12. bat — the animal
  13. hand — in cards
  14. stock — shares
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. land — to come down
  18. stock — goods
  19. rash — a series
  20. hand — help
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. spring — the season
  23. land — a country
  24. spring — a coil

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