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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. can — to be able to
  3. spring — of water
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. can — a tin
  6. court — for sport
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. craft — boats
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. can — a tin
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. craft — a skill
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. court — of a king
  17. spring — a coil
  18. court — of law
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. bat — the animal
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. spring — the season
  24. wave — of the sea

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