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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. spell — magic
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. spring — a coil
  6. press — to push
  7. perch — the fish
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. spring — the season
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. craft — boats
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mine — for digging
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. spell — letters
  19. tube — the underground
  20. craft — a skill
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. spell — a short time
  23. tube — a container
  24. kick — in football

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