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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. suit — clothes
  6. bound — certain
  7. spring — the season
  8. bound — tied together
  9. land — to come down
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. suit — to fit
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bound — obliged
  15. suit — in cards
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bat — the animal
  18. spring — of water
  19. pit — in a race
  20. land — a country
  21. fall — the season
  22. pit — a hole
  23. fall — to drop
  24. land — ground

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