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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — a face
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. face — to point toward
  9. pop — soda
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. spring — of water
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. spring — the season
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. face — to confront
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. cold — an illness
  18. stem — to come from
  19. face — part of the head
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mug — to rob
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. stem — of a plant

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