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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bound — obliged
  6. land — a country
  7. chest — of your body
  8. land — ground
  9. chest — of your body
  10. spring — a coil
  11. land — to come down
  12. fine — high quality
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. chest — a box
  15. content — happy
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. content — the amount
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. spring — the season
  24. fine — all right

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