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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. cap — of ice
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. hand — help
  5. squash — to crush
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. hand — in cards
  9. cap — a hat
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. drill — army training
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. squash — the sport
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. spring — of water
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. pound — a weight
  20. cap — a lid
  21. spring — a coil
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — music
  24. squash — the vegetable

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