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: spring · mouse · lie · land · mine · last · pass · chest

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — final
  3. spring — of water
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. land — ground
  9. last — finally
  10. chest — a box
  11. spring — a coil
  12. lie — to recline
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. pass — a permit
  15. mine — for digging
  16. land — a country
  17. spring — the season
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. land — to come down
  24. mouse — the animal

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