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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. present — a gift
  3. track — to keep track
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. spring — a coil
  7. track — a path
  8. cap — a hat
  9. season — of the year
  10. spring — the season
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — of ice
  13. season — in sport
  14. prune — to trim
  15. spring — of water
  16. track — a song
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. present — the time now
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. ball — a great time
  23. present — there
  24. stand — to bear

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