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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. drill — army training
  5. ball — a dance
  6. season — of the year
  7. ball — a great time
  8. drill — the tool
  9. stand — to bear
  10. drill — a practice
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bulb — for light
  13. clip — a video
  14. craft — a skill
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — boats
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. clip — to cut
  24. ball — a round shape

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