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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cap — a hat
  3. date — the fruit
  4. cold — an illness
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. charge — a price
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bulb — for light
  10. charge — in control
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. charge — electricity
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — not warm
  17. chair — a leader
  18. press — to push
  19. cap — of ice
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. press — newspapers
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. press — a publisher
  24. date — on the calendar

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