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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. ground — crushed
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — of law
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. ground — the earth
  13. plane — a tool
  14. ground — a position
  15. wound — an injury
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bulb — for light
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. prune — to trim
  21. capital — money
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. capital — a city
  24. court — for sport

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