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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fall — the season
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. clip — for paper
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bulb — for light
  10. clip — a video
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. clip — to cut
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bulb — for light
  15. band — a ring
  16. ground — a position
  17. fall — to drop
  18. ground — crushed
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. band — a music group
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — after costs

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