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: firm · bulb · fan · court · row · wound · rash · tear

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. firm — decided
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bulb — for light
  8. tear — from crying
  9. firm — steady
  10. rash — a series
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. rash — hasty
  17. court — of law
  18. row — to paddle
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bulb — for light
  21. row — a line
  22. court — of a king
  23. tear — to rip
  24. firm — a company

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