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: perch · swing · bulb · kid · mark · spell · wake · fan

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bulb — for light
  4. swing — in golf
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. swing — music
  7. perch — the fish
  8. mark — a trace
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — child
  14. swing — to play on
  15. spell — letters
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — a short time
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. wake — a trail

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