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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. capital — money
  8. spring — of water
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bass — the fish
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. spell — letters
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. mine — for digging
  16. spring — the season
  17. bass — low music
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pass — a permit
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. capital — a city
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bat — the animal

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