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: court · can · wind · mug · saw · spring · cabinet · squash

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. spring — a coil
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mug — a cup
  5. squash — the sport
  6. can — to be able to
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wind — moving air
  10. court — for sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. saw — the tool
  13. can — a tin
  14. court — of a king
  15. mug — a face
  16. can — a tin
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. squash — to crush
  19. mug — to rob
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. wind — moving air
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — the season
  24. court — of law

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