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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. capital — a city
  3. current — electric
  4. last — finally
  5. capital — money
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — music
  10. current — of water
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. pop — to visit
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. current — happening now
  21. rush — hurry
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — final
  24. fork — in a road

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