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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bulb — for light
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. wind — moving air
  10. spring — the season
  11. game — wild animals
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. spring — of water
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bore — to tire
  17. cap — of ice
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bulb — of a plant

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