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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. hand — help
  5. shower — rain
  6. hand — in cards
  7. shower — to wash
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. track — to keep track
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. track — a path
  17. fine — high quality
  18. track — a song
  19. bulb — for light
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. jam — in traffic

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