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: land · toast · bulb · capital · pop · tube · hide · roll

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. toast — bread
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pop — to visit
  6. roll — a cake
  7. bulb — for light
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bulb — for light
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. roll — a list
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. land — ground
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pop — music
  20. tube — the underground
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a city
  23. pop — soda
  24. land — to come down

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