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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. mug — a face
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. fine — all right
  5. spring — the season
  6. plane — a tool
  7. ground — a position
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ground — crushed
  11. mug — to rob
  12. land — to come down
  13. season — of the year
  14. fine — high quality
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. land — ground
  18. spring — of water
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. season — in sport
  21. land — a country
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. ground — the earth
  24. mug — a cup

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