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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. court — for sport
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. pitch — completely
  6. race — a contest
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the fish
  10. key — in music
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. court — of law
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. court — of a king
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — the most important part
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. race — the arms race
  21. bulb — for light
  22. fork — in a road
  23. race — humankind
  24. perch — the fish

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