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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. swing — to play on
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a hint
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cold — an illness
  8. clip — to cut
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. clip — a video
  11. mine — for digging
  12. clip — for paper
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. swing — music
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cue — a signal
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. swing — in golf
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cold — not warm
  24. rash — a series

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