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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. rock — a stone
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. fall — the season
  7. content — the amount
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. cold — not warm
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. cold — an illness
  16. pitch — completely
  17. row — to paddle
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. row — a line
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. fall — to drop
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. content — happy
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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