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: straw · track · suit · temple · mine · spring · swing · snap

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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. suit — to fit
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. spring — a coil
  5. track — a path
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. swing — music
  8. spring — the season
  9. snap — to click
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. suit — in cards
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a song
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. suit — clothes
  19. mine — for digging
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. swing — to play on
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. swing — in golf
  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