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: mate · bear · straw · drill · trunk · swing · spring · sharp

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. drill — army training
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — in golf
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. drill — the tool
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bear — the animal
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. drill — a practice
  14. mate — to breed
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bear — the animal
  17. mate — a friend
  18. spring — the season
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mate — a partner
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. spring — a coil

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