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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · foot · squash · season · spring · fork

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. fork — in a road
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the sport
  5. spring — of water
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. spring — the season
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. season — of the year
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. foot — a measure
  17. season — in sport
  18. fork — to eat with

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