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: snap · spring · pitcher · pop · chest · date · current · bulb

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pop — soda
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. snap — to click
  6. current — of water
  7. chest — of your body
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bulb — for light
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bulb — for light
  12. chest — a box
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. spring — of water
  15. pop — music
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. current — happening now
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pop — to visit
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. current — electric
  23. spring — the season
  24. pitcher — a jug

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