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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bulb — for light
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. spring — of water
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. cell — in biology
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bound — obliged
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bound — tied together
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bulb — for light
  20. spring — the season
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a city
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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