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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. spring — of water
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. spring — a coil
  9. ball — a dance
  10. tube — a container
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rest — a break
  13. kick — in football
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. spring — the season
  19. cold — an illness
  20. ball — a great time
  21. tube — the underground
  22. cold — not warm
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. rest — what's left

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