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: rest · bulb · march · cabinet · fan · straw · spring · bay

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. rest — a break
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. rest — what's left
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. spring — of water
  19. rest — what's left
  20. march — the month
  21. spring — the season
  22. bulb — for light
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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