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: field · toast · fork · shower · rest · bulb · clip · hand

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. toast — bread
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — a video
  7. rest — a break
  8. fork — in a road
  9. hand — help
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rest — what's left
  13. shower — to wash
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. rest — what's left
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. field — farmland
  19. clip — for paper
  20. hand — in cards
  21. field — a subject
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. field — for sport
  24. toast — the most admired

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