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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. spring — a coil
  3. game — wild animals
  4. cap — of ice
  5. spring — the season
  6. key — in music
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. key — for a lock
  10. spring — of water
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. cap — a lid
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. wake — a trail
  16. cap — a hat
  17. game — a match
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. foot — a measure
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. key — the most important part
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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