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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. firm — a company
  6. pop — music
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. object — to protest
  11. firm — steady
  12. cell — in biology
  13. object — an aim
  14. firm — decided
  15. pop — to visit
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mine — for digging
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. pop — soda
  23. object — a thing
  24. lie — an untruth

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