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: bulb · land · row · face · bear · bat · saw · deal

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — ground
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bulb — for light
  8. face — part of the head
  9. saw — the tool
  10. land — a country
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bear — the animal
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. row — a line
  15. face — to confront
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. face — to point toward
  20. saw — the tool
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bear — the animal

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