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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. court — for sport
  3. staff — a stick
  4. court — of law
  5. file — a line of people
  6. land — a country
  7. court — of a king
  8. track — a path
  9. ground — the earth
  10. file — a tool
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. current — of water
  13. track — a song
  14. land — ground
  15. current — happening now
  16. file — a document
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. track — to keep track
  20. land — to come down
  21. ground — a position
  22. staff — employees
  23. ground — crushed
  24. staff — employees

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