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 · tear · craft · last · mark · band · foot · board

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. craft — a skill
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. mark — a trace
  6. spring — the season
  7. tear — from crying
  8. foot — a measure
  9. last — finally
  10. board — a committee
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. last — to go on
  13. board — to get on
  14. band — a music group
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. mark — a grade
  19. craft — boats
  20. tear — from crying
  21. spring — of water
  22. tear — to rip
  23. band — a ring
  24. spring — a coil

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