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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — of water
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. cold — an illness
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. spring — a coil
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cold — not warm

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