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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. season — of the year
  4. suit — clothes
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. spring — of water
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. suit — to fit
  10. court — of law
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. season — in sport
  15. wound — an injury
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. suit — in cards
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — for sport
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — a law

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