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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. swing — in golf
  3. cell — in biology
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. spring — of water
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. spring — the season
  8. cell — a phone
  9. court — of law
  10. swing — to play on
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. object — to protest
  13. object — a thing
  14. spring — a coil
  15. root — of a word
  16. court — of a king
  17. season — in sport
  18. root — the cause
  19. object — an aim
  20. swing — music
  21. court — for sport
  22. root — of a plant
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. lie — to recline

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