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 120 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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. ground — the earth
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bass — low music
  7. ground — crushed
  8. file — a line of people
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bulb — for light
  12. ground — a position
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. key — in music
  18. file — a document
  19. tear — to rip
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bass — the fish
  22. key — for a lock
  23. file — a tool
  24. bass — the instrument

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