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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. hand — in cards
  4. current — happening now
  5. hand — help
  6. band — a ring
  7. rock — music
  8. charge — in control
  9. charge — a price
  10. current — electric
  11. bulb — for light
  12. charge — electricity
  13. net — in sport
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. rock — a stone
  16. band — a music group
  17. current — of water
  18. net — after costs
  19. bulb — for light
  20. net — for catching
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. bat — the animal
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bat — in an idiom

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