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: mine · rash · march · can · scale · lie · field · bulb

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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. rash — a series
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. rash — hasty
  4. can — a tin
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bulb — for light
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. field — farmland
  12. march — the month
  13. field — for sport
  14. march — music
  15. field — a subject
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. can — to be able to
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. can — a tin
  23. march — the month
  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