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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. current — of water
  3. face — to confront
  4. season — of the year
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. face — part of the head
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. face — to point toward
  15. season — in sport
  16. current — electric
  17. current — happening now
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. mate — a partner
  24. straw — a straw man

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