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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. scale — size or range
  6. current — of water
  7. degree — from a university
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. clip — for paper
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. clip — to cut
  14. scale — in music
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — temperature
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. clip — a video
  22. current — happening now
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mine — for digging

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