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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cold — an illness
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cold — not warm
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. face — to confront
  14. snap — to click
  15. present — the time now
  16. plane — a tool
  17. bulb — for light
  18. face — to point toward
  19. present — there
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. saw — the tool
  23. present — a gift
  24. face — part of the head

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