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: ball · clip · straw · wake · date · current · bulb · rash

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. clip — for paper
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bulb — for light
  6. current — electric
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. clip — a video
  12. ball — a dance
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. current — happening now
  16. rash — a series
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. date — the fruit
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. current — of water
  21. wake — a trail
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. rash — hasty

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