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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bass — the fish
  5. face — to confront
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bass — low music
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. pound — a weight
  14. swing — in golf
  15. face — part of the head
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. ground — the earth
  20. swing — music
  21. swing — to play on
  22. ground — a position
  23. bulb — for light
  24. ground — crushed

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