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: hide · bulb · rash · rest · fan · fall · scale · field

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. rash — a series
  10. scale — in music
  11. rash — hasty
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rest — a break
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fall — to drop
  19. rest — what's left
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. fall — the season
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. fall — to drop
  24. field — farmland

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