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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. last — final
  3. current — of water
  4. last — finally
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. bound — tied together
  8. current — electric
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bound — obliged
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. current — happening now
  13. hand — help
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. march — the month
  18. bound — certain
  19. root — of a word
  20. last — to go on
  21. root — the cause
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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