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 120 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bulb — for light
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. branch — a division
  8. craft — boats
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — to visit
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. chest — a box
  20. pop — music
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. wake — a trail
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. chest — of your body

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