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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. spring — the season
  4. chip — to eat
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. object — to protest
  8. saw — the tool
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. swing — to play on
  11. saw — the tool
  12. object — an aim
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — a line
  15. object — a thing
  16. plane — a tool
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — for betting
  19. deal — to handle
  20. swing — in golf
  21. row — to paddle
  22. swing — music
  23. spring — a coil
  24. plane — in geometry

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