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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. mate — a friend
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. wind — moving air
  10. current — electric
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. mate — a partner
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. field — for sport
  16. current — happening now
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mate — to breed
  19. field — a subject
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — an illness
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. wind — moving air
  24. field — farmland

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