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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. spring — a coil
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. spring — of water
  5. suit — to fit
  6. net — for catching
  7. track — a song
  8. spring — the season
  9. season — of the year
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. last — to go on
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. net — in sport
  16. suit — in cards
  17. bore — to tire
  18. suit — clothes
  19. bore — to drill
  20. last — final
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. net — after costs
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a path

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