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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. cell — in biology
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bulb — for light
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bat — the animal
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. season — in sport
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cap — of ice
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cap — a lid
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. rash — a series

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