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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. fall — to drop
  3. race — the arms race
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fall — the season
  6. bulb — for light
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bulb — for light
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. race — humankind
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — a video
  13. row — a line
  14. march — the month
  15. current — electric
  16. fall — to drop
  17. race — a contest
  18. march — music
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. current — happening now
  21. march — the month
  22. row — to paddle
  23. current — of water
  24. clip — to cut

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