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: mine · craft · suit · chest · kid · toast · spring · fan

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. craft — a skill
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. kid — to tease
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. kid — child
  8. spring — of water
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. spring — a coil
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — to fit
  17. chest — a box
  18. spring — the season
  19. suit — in cards
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. craft — boats
  23. mine — for digging
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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