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: kick · drill · rush · bulb · ball · press · hand · land

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. rush — hurry
  4. press — to push
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. land — to come down
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — in football
  11. press — a publisher
  12. ball — a dance
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. land — a country
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. hand — in cards
  20. ball — a great time
  21. press — newspapers
  22. hand — help
  23. drill — army training
  24. land — ground

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