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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. cold — not warm
  4. tube — a container
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cold — an illness
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. squash — to crush
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. current — electric
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. squash — the sport
  14. rest — a break
  15. current — of water
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pitch — completely
  21. rest — what's left
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. tear — to rip

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