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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — the season
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. tube — a container
  11. cold — not warm
  12. tube — the underground
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. spring — a coil
  24. chair — a leader

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