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: cabinet · season · spring · bear · perch · face · mine · hand

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — to confront
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. hand — in cards
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. season — in sport
  9. face — part of the head
  10. spring — of water
  11. mine — for digging
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bear — the animal
  14. hand — help
  15. season — of the year
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. perch — for a bird

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