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: bulb · season · can · spell · squash · rest · cell · hand

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. squash — the sport
  3. hand — help
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. can — a tin
  6. cell — in biology
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bulb — for light
  11. can — a tin
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. can — to be able to
  16. rest — what's left
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. spell — magic
  21. cell — a phone
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — letters
  24. squash — to crush

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