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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. season — of the year
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. key — for a lock
  8. row — to paddle
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. key — the most important part
  11. season — in sport
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. row — a line
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. spring — the season
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. foot — a measure
  20. key — in music
  21. spring — of water
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cold — not warm

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