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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — electric
  3. squash — to crush
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fall — to drop
  7. squash — the sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. rock — a stone
  12. wind — moving air
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. prune — to trim
  16. field — farmland
  17. snap — to click
  18. current — of water
  19. rock — music
  20. fall — the season
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. field — for sport
  24. fall — to drop

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