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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cap — a lid
  6. mine — for digging
  7. cap — of ice
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. fork — in a road
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bulb — for light
  13. drill — a practice
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bank — of a river
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — for money
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. mine — an explosive

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