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: mine · bay · fan · spell · wind · bulb · pass · lean

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. spell — letters
  3. pass — a permit
  4. lean — thin
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. mine — for digging
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. spell — magic
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. spell — a short time
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bulb — for light

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