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 120 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. current — electric
  4. cue — for pool
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. current — of water
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cue — a hint
  10. file — a document
  11. current — happening now
  12. file — a line of people
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — of ice
  16. file — a tool
  17. sharp — clever
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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