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

Word bank: bulb · face · ground · arm · current · clip · kick · cold

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. current — happening now
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. current — of water
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — part of the head
  7. clip — a video
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — an illness
  12. face — to point toward
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. current — electric
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. ground — a position
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. clip — to cut
  19. ground — crushed
  20. kick — in football
  21. clip — for paper
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bulb — for light

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