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 116 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: bank · last · cold · deal · kick · mine · bulb · net

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — of a river
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bank — for money
  9. cold — not warm
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. last — final
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. last — to go on
  14. bulb — for light
  15. mine — for digging
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. kick — in football
  18. deal — to handle
  19. net — after costs
  20. last — finally
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — in sport

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