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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. fall — to drop
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. fall — to drop
  5. current — electric
  6. fall — the season
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. track — to keep track
  9. cold — not warm
  10. track — a path
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. track — a song
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. current — of water
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cold — an illness

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