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: object · file · rock · content · field · net · bulb · date

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bulb — for light
  3. date — the fruit
  4. rock — a stone
  5. field — farmland
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. object — an aim
  9. net — after costs
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — for sport
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. net — in sport
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. rock — music
  19. object — a thing
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bulb — for light
  22. file — a document
  23. object — to protest
  24. net — for catching

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