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: hand · bulb · cabinet · wind · mine · pop · rule · present

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mine — for digging
  5. present — there
  6. hand — in cards
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wind — moving air
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. hand — help
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wind — moving air
  18. present — the time now
  19. rule — government
  20. present — a gift
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rule — a law
  24. pop — soda

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