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 116 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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. shower — rain
  3. bass — the fish
  4. shower — to wash
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bass — low music
  7. cold — an illness
  8. fine — high quality
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rule — government
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rule — a law
  16. current — of water
  17. row — a line
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. current — electric
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cold — not warm
  24. current — happening now

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