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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. capital — a city
  3. bulb — for light
  4. net — after costs
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. field — farmland
  7. lean — thin
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. kid — to tease
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. capital — money
  12. rush — hurry
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. field — for sport
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. field — a subject
  19. lean — to bend
  20. kid — child
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bulb — for light

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