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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mug — a cup
  4. track — to keep track
  5. mug — to rob
  6. track — a song
  7. scale — in music
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. mug — a face
  10. court — for sport
  11. track — a path
  12. scale — size or range
  13. chest — a box
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. spring — the season
  17. court — of a king
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. chest — of your body
  20. spring — of water
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. court — of law
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

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