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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. club — for golf
  3. drill — army training
  4. club — a group
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bulb — for light
  7. current — happening now
  8. bulb — for light
  9. current — electric
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. drill — the tool
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. file — a tool
  17. club — for dancing
  18. drill — a practice
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. file — a document
  21. bat — the animal
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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