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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. current — electric
  3. current — happening now
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. ground — the earth
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — high quality
  9. land — to come down
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. spell — letters
  15. stock — shares
  16. current — of water
  17. land — a country
  18. wound — an injury
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — a position
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. stock — goods
  23. spell — magic
  24. wound — an injury

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