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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. clip — to cut
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bulb — for light
  7. clip — for paper
  8. row — to paddle
  9. chest — of your body
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bound — tied together
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bound — obliged
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — happy
  20. clip — a video
  21. row — a line
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. bound — certain
  24. chest — a box

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