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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. spring — a coil
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bound — certain
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. spring — the season
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pound — a weight
  18. mine — for digging
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bound — obliged
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bound — tied together
  24. cell — a phone

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