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: tube · straw · club · bear · arm · spring · sharp · march

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. spring — of water
  4. march — the month
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. spring — the season
  7. march — the month
  8. club — for dancing
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. club — a group
  11. tube — the underground
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. tube — a container
  14. club — for golf
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bear — the animal
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. march — music
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bear — the animal
  24. sharp — with an edge

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