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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. kick — in football
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rock — a stone
  5. spring — the season
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. spring — of water
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. current — happening now
  12. row — a line
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. current — of water
  15. game — wild animals
  16. row — to paddle
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. game — a match
  19. rock — music
  20. kid — child
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. spring — a coil

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