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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. spring — of water
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. tube — the underground
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. object — to protest
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. spring — a coil
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. object — an aim
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. object — a thing
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. wake — a trail
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. spring — the season
  19. mate — a partner
  20. stock — goods
  21. mine — for digging
  22. stock — shares
  23. tube — a container
  24. cabinet — ministers

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