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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. mine — for digging
  3. content — happy
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rash — hasty
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. march — the month
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. spring — a coil
  18. content — the amount
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. march — the month
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. march — music
  24. rash — on the skin

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