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: key · file · bulb · clip · leaves · face · pop · cap

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  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. face — to confront
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — of ice
  5. face — part of the head
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bulb — for light
  8. key — for a lock
  9. face — to point toward
  10. pop — music
  11. clip — for paper
  12. file — a document
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. key — in music
  15. clip — to cut
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. file — a tool
  18. key — the most important part
  19. clip — a video
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — to visit
  22. file — a line of people
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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