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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mate — a friend
  3. spring — the season
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. spring — of water
  6. mug — to rob
  7. field — for sport
  8. mug — a cup
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. key — the most important part
  11. field — farmland
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a ring
  15. rule — a law
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. mate — a partner
  18. field — a subject
  19. rule — government
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. key — in music
  22. mate — to breed
  23. key — for a lock
  24. spring — a coil

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