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: sharp · lie · shower · staff · wind · field · cap · bulb

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. field — for sport
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. cap — a hat
  9. field — farmland
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. field — a subject
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cap — a lid
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. shower — rain
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cap — of ice
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. staff — employees

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