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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mine — for digging
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. file — a tool
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. file — a line of people
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. file — a document
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bulb — for light
  17. game — a match
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. game — wild animals
  23. cell — in biology
  24. mine — an explosive

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