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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · content · suit · land · temple · chest · rush · bulb

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. suit — in cards
  7. suit — to fit
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. content — happy
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. suit — clothes
  18. land — a country
  19. chest — of your body
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. land — ground
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. content — the amount
  24. land — to come down

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