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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. field — farmland
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. tube — a container
  6. season — in sport
  7. ground — the earth
  8. season — of the year
  9. field — a subject
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. ground — crushed
  14. field — for sport
  15. hand — in cards
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. ground — a position
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. hand — help
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. temple — a place of worship

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