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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. craft — boats
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. chest — of your body
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. chest — of your body
  8. craft — a skill
  9. season — in sport
  10. band — a ring
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. season — of the year
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. band — a music group
  22. date — the fruit
  23. chest — a box
  24. cabinet — ministers

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