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 124 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. march — the month
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. current — electric
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. march — music
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bore — to tire
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — of water
  12. bore — to drill
  13. content — happy
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. march — the month
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. content — the amount
  21. clip — a video
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bore — gave birth

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