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: lean · wind · fan · shower · snap · saw · bulb · court

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bulb — for light
  4. saw — the tool
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. wind — moving air
  8. shower — rain
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. shower — to wash
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. saw — the tool
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. court — of a king
  18. lean — to bend
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. court — of law
  21. court — for sport
  22. lean — thin
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bulb — for light

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