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: bat · wake · straw · bulb · current · clip · key · pop

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. current — electric
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pop — soda
  6. clip — for paper
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. clip — a video
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. wake — a trail
  12. pop — music
  13. key — the most important part
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. pop — to visit
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bat — the animal
  18. current — of water
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. key — for a lock
  21. current — happening now
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. key — in music
  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