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: shower · can · hide · temple · spring · bat · mate · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — rain
  4. mate — to breed
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — a friend
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. spring — the season
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. spell — magic
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. spell — a short time
  20. shower — to wash
  21. can — a tin
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — the animal
  24. spring — of water

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