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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. vault — a safe
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bulb — for light
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. file — a tool
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. wax — to grow
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. sharp — clever
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. file — a document
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. file — a line of people
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. fork — in a road

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