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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. foot — a measure
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — a law
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. game — a match
  9. deal — to handle
  10. bulb — for light
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. sharp — clever
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bulb — for light
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. fan — a supporter

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