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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. rash — a series
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. capital — a city
  5. net — in sport
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. net — after costs
  9. bulb — for light
  10. net — for catching
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. land — to come down
  14. row — to paddle
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. row — a line
  18. capital — money
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. land — a country
  22. land — ground
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pitch — completely

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