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: bat · clip · plane · track · leaves · current · bulb · row

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. track — a song
  3. bulb — for light
  4. current — of water
  5. track — a path
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — to cut
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. clip — for paper
  14. row — to paddle
  15. current — electric
  16. row — a line
  17. bat — the animal
  18. current — happening now
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bat — for baseball

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