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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. kid — child
  3. rash — hasty
  4. land — ground
  5. bulb — for light
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. land — to come down
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. land — a country
  10. last — to go on
  11. kid — to tease
  12. mark — a trace
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bulb — for light
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. rash — a series
  19. last — final
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. mark — a grade
  22. last — finally
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. bulb — of a plant

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