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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bulb — for light
  3. scale — in music
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chip — for betting
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — size or range
  8. hand — help
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rash — a series
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — humankind
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. chip — to eat
  23. race — the arms race
  24. hand — in cards

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