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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mug — a cup
  4. cue — for pool
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cue — a hint
  7. mug — a face
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. deal — to handle
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cue — a signal
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bulb — for light
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wind — moving air

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