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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. can — a tin
  3. firm — decided
  4. track — a song
  5. cold — not warm
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. cap — a lid
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. firm — steady
  13. fall — the season
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. can — to be able to
  17. track — a path
  18. track — to keep track
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cap — of ice
  22. firm — a company
  23. can — a tin
  24. cap — a hat

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