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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fine — high quality
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. wound — an injury
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. spring — the season
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. ground — a position
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. fine — all right
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bulb — for light
  19. ground — crushed
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. foot — a measure
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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