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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bulb — for light
  3. clip — a video
  4. pit — a hole
  5. spell — magic
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — to get on
  12. fall — to drop
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. clip — for paper
  18. fall — the season
  19. clip — to cut
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bulb — for light
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. spell — a short time
  24. sharp — with an edge

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