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 116 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. land — a country
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. land — to come down
  5. wind — moving air
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mate — a friend
  11. current — electric
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. land — ground
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. bore — to drill
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. current — of water
  22. current — happening now
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bore — to tire

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