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 120 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: content · row · key · spring · cold · rest · ruler · trunk

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. key — in music
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. rest — a break
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. spring — the season
  7. row — to paddle
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — a coil
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. cold — not warm
  13. rest — what's left
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. key — the most important part
  16. cold — an illness
  17. content — the amount
  18. rest — what's left
  19. key — for a lock
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. content — happy

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