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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — to wash
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bear — the animal
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bear — the animal
  8. spring — of water
  9. land — to come down
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. toast — bread
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. land — a country
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. land — ground
  23. spring — the season
  24. bear — to put up with

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