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

Word bank: squash · hide · pop · wind · dip · content · spring · ball

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. pop — soda
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wind — moving air
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. squash — the sport
  12. ball — a dance
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. spring — the season
  15. wind — moving air
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. spring — a coil
  19. pop — music
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. dip — to sink
  24. pop — to visit

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