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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. club — a group
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — for golf
  10. snap — to click
  11. net — for catching
  12. file — a document
  13. net — in sport
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pass — a permit
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. file — a line of people
  19. spring — a coil
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. file — a tool
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. net — after costs
  24. spring — the season

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