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: season · chair · spring · mark · snap · hide · bear · pitcher

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. spring — the season
  3. snap — to click
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. spring — of water
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mark — a grade
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mark — a trace
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. season — in sport
  18. chair — a leader
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. bear — the animal
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. spring — a coil
  24. season — of the year

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