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 120 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: bay · content · capital · lean · fan · bulb · mug · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. last — to go on
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. content — happy
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. lean — to bend
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. mug — a cup
  16. bulb — for light
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. capital — money
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. lean — thin
  22. last — finally
  23. capital — a city
  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