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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. spring — of water
  4. field — for sport
  5. bear — the animal
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. spring — the season
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. field — farmland
  11. file — a tool
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. cell — a phone
  14. ball — a great time
  15. board — to get on
  16. ball — a dance
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. file — a document
  19. field — a subject
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bear — the animal
  22. board — a committee
  23. file — a line of people
  24. cell — in biology

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