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

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. fall — to drop
  3. charge — a price
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fall — to drop
  6. charge — electricity
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. mine — for digging
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. band — a music group
  12. roll — a list
  13. mug — a cup
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. mug — to rob
  17. game — a match
  18. mug — a face
  19. band — a ring
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. fall — the season
  23. game — wild animals
  24. charge — in control

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