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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. face — part of the head
  3. game — a match
  4. spring — the season
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. saw — the tool
  9. spring — of water
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. game — wild animals
  13. kid — to tease
  14. pop — to visit
  15. saw — the tool
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — to confront
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. kid — child
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. rush — hurry
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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