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: bulb · cap · row · spring · calf · capital · pitcher · plane

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. capital — money
  5. cap — of ice
  6. spring — a coil
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. cap — a hat
  10. plane — a tool
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. row — a line
  13. spring — of water
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. spring — the season
  16. cap — a lid
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bulb — for light
  19. row — to paddle
  20. capital — a city
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bulb — of a plant

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