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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bulb — for light
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. plane — a tool
  9. kid — to tease
  10. lie — to recline
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. swing — in golf
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. swing — to play on
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. swing — music
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. date — the fruit
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. kid — child

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