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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. sharp — clever
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. spell — letters
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — a trace
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. staff — employees
  18. foot — a measure
  19. staff — employees
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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