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: race · shower · land · bulb · scale · wind · swing · rock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. wind — moving air
  3. land — to come down
  4. bulb — for light
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — the arms race
  7. land — ground
  8. land — a country
  9. scale — size or range
  10. shower — to wash
  11. race — a contest
  12. rock — music
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. wind — moving air
  15. swing — music
  16. bulb — for light
  17. swing — in golf
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. scale — in music
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. shower — rain
  22. swing — to play on
  23. rock — a stone
  24. scale — for weighing

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