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: mine · shower · nail · bulb · last · bound · press · mark

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. mark — a trace
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. last — to go on
  6. mine — for digging
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. last — final
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — to wash
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bound — certain
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. last — finally
  18. mark — a grade
  19. press — to push
  20. bound — obliged
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bulb — for light
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bound — tied together

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