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: rash · hand · tube · mouse · spring · charge · coach · roll

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. charge — electricity
  7. spring — a coil
  8. charge — in control
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. rash — a series
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. roll — a cake
  17. tube — the underground
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. charge — a price
  20. hand — help
  21. tube — a container
  22. roll — a list
  23. spring — the season
  24. hand — in cards

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