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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. last — finally
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. net — in sport
  9. rash — a series
  10. net — after costs
  11. rash — hasty
  12. cap — a hat
  13. last — to go on
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. last — final
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. cap — a lid
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — rain
  20. cap — of ice
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. shower — to wash
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rash — on the skin

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