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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bulb — for light
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. net — in sport
  6. bulb — for light
  7. file — a document
  8. row — to paddle
  9. band — a ring
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mark — a grade
  12. band — a music group
  13. file — a tool
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. net — after costs
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. shower — rain
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. row — a line
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mark — a trace
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bulb — of a plant

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