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: file · perch · wound · land · staff · bulb · pop · roll

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. land — to come down
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. staff — employees
  5. wound — an injury
  6. staff — employees
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pop — soda
  9. land — a country
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pop — music
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. roll — a list
  14. file — a tool
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bulb — for light
  17. staff — a stick
  18. land — ground
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. file — a document
  21. pop — to visit
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bulb — for light
  24. roll — on a roll

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