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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bound — obliged
  3. season — of the year
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bound — tied together
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. file — a tool
  8. bulb — for light
  9. file — a line of people
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bass — low music
  13. sharp — clever
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bass — the fish
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bound — certain
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. fall — the season
  23. season — in sport
  24. file — a document

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