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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. net — in sport
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. ground — crushed
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bulb — for light
  8. ground — the earth
  9. net — after costs
  10. file — a tool
  11. net — for catching
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. foot — a measure
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bulb — for light
  18. ground — a position
  19. snap — to click
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. band — a ring
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. foot — part of the body

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