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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bass — the fish
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wake — a trail
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bass — low music
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. court — of law
  12. spring — a coil
  13. court — of a king
  14. lean — thin
  15. tube — the underground
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. spring — the season
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. tube — a container
  21. court — for sport
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. hand — in cards

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