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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cap — a lid
  4. present — there
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pop — soda
  9. cap — of ice
  10. present — the time now
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. degree — an amount
  13. spring — the season
  14. lie — to recline
  15. degree — from a university
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. spring — of water
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. pop — music
  20. present — a gift
  21. degree — temperature
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pop — to visit

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