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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bulb — for light
  9. degree — from a university
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. game — a match
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. ball — a great time
  17. game — wild animals
  18. degree — temperature
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. degree — an amount
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. squash — to crush
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. squash — the vegetable

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