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 116 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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. hand — help
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a tool
  12. object — a thing
  13. file — a line of people
  14. deal — to handle
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. spring — of water
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. object — to protest
  21. hand — in cards
  22. object — an aim
  23. hand — part of the body
  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