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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. rock — a stone
  4. spring — of water
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bore — to tire
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rock — music
  10. stock — goods
  11. swing — to play on
  12. field — for sport
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. stock — shares
  15. field — farmland
  16. spring — the season
  17. field — a subject
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bore — to drill
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. swing — music
  23. cell — in biology
  24. spring — a coil

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