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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. wind — moving air
  4. track — a path
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. track — a song
  7. spring — of water
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cell — in biology
  10. snap — to click
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. spring — the season
  13. pound — a weight
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cell — a phone
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. track — to keep track
  19. wind — moving air
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. arm — part of the body

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