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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. field — a subject
  8. staff — a stick
  9. track — to keep track
  10. staff — employees
  11. field — farmland
  12. lean — to bend
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. lean — thin
  15. track — a song
  16. staff — employees
  17. cell — a phone
  18. squash — the sport
  19. track — a path
  20. spring — a coil
  21. field — for sport
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. spring — the season
  24. cell — in biology

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