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: mark · bulb · fine · spell · root · chest · present · clip

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a grade
  3. spell — letters
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — there
  6. mark — a trace
  7. chest — a box
  8. fine — all right
  9. clip — to cut
  10. root — the cause
  11. spell — a short time
  12. chest — of your body
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. clip — a video
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bulb — for light
  21. present — a gift
  22. spell — magic
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — a penalty

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