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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. band — a ring
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. race — humankind
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. band — a music group
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. bat — the animal
  15. race — a contest
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. date — the fruit
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. kid — child
  20. bulb — for light
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. race — the arms race
  24. kid — to tease

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