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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. current — electric
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — a measure
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. current — happening now
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bulb — for light
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. net — after costs
  16. hand — help
  17. bulb — for light
  18. net — in sport
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. hand — in cards
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. current — of water
  24. net — for catching

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