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 116 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: march · bulb · current · object · field · dip · rash · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. march — music
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. clip — for paper
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — a thing
  8. clip — a video
  9. field — farmland
  10. current — electric
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. rash — hasty
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. bulb — for light
  16. object — an aim
  17. rash — a series
  18. current — happening now
  19. dip — to sink
  20. current — of water
  21. march — the month
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. march — the month
  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