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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. ball — a dance
  4. snap — to click
  5. scale — in music
  6. branch — a division
  7. content — the amount
  8. current — of water
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. content — happy
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. scale — size or range
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. current — electric
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. ball — a great time
  24. nail — on a finger

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