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 116 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. swing — in golf
  7. charge — a price
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a great time
  10. cell — in biology
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cell — a phone
  13. swing — music
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. wound — an injury
  18. charge — electricity
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. swing — to play on
  23. charge — in control
  24. wound — an injury

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