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

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. current — happening now
  3. kid — child
  4. current — electric
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. mine — for digging
  7. dip — to sink
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. current — of water
  11. drill — army training
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. kid — to tease
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a list
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. drill — a practice
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. drill — the tool
  24. trunk — of a tree

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