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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. hand — help
  3. sharp — clever
  4. craft — a skill
  5. spring — the season
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. march — music
  8. craft — boats
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. march — the month
  11. wind — moving air
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. hand — in cards
  15. plane — a tool
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. wind — moving air
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. march — the month
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. spring — a coil
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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