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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — a coil
  4. file — a line of people
  5. spring — the season
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. mate — a partner
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. charge — electricity
  13. squash — to crush
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. mate — a friend
  17. file — a tool
  18. charge — a price
  19. mate — to breed
  20. file — a document
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. ball — a great time
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. charge — in control

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