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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. chest — a box
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. game — wild animals
  9. chest — of your body
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. last — final
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. chest — of your body
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — a match
  17. shower — to wash
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bulb — for light
  20. shower — rain
  21. fork — in a road
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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