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: spring · drill · can · season · game · track · sharp · rule

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. can — to be able to
  3. track — to keep track
  4. rule — government
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — the season
  8. rule — a law
  9. season — in sport
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. can — a tin
  13. sharp — clever
  14. drill — the tool
  15. game — a match
  16. drill — army training
  17. can — a tin
  18. season — of the year
  19. spring — of water
  20. track — a path
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. drill — a practice
  24. game — wild animals

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