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: ball · kid · toast · stick · spring · wake · present · roll

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. kid — child
  3. roll — a list
  4. spring — a coil
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. spring — of water
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. present — there
  10. roll — a cake
  11. present — the time now
  12. ball — a great time
  13. wake — a trail
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. ball — a dance
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. toast — bread
  21. spring — the season
  22. present — a gift
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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