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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. spell — letters
  3. wind — moving air
  4. sharp — clever
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. object — an aim
  8. rush — hurry
  9. object — a thing
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. field — a subject
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bulb — for light
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. spell — magic
  24. object — to protest

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