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: march · bear · present · spring · trunk · cold · racket · bay

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. march — music
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. spring — of water
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. present — the time now
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. march — the month
  13. present — a gift
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. present — there
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. march — the month
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bear — the animal
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. racket — a loud noise

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