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: track · spring · straw · mine · cue · bowl · drill · net

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. cue — a signal
  3. net — in sport
  4. drill — a practice
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. cue — a hint
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. net — for catching
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — the season
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. track — a path
  15. net — after costs
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. cue — for pool
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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