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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. cap — of ice
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pit — in a race
  6. cap — a lid
  7. chip — to eat
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. current — happening now
  10. cap — a hat
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. current — electric
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. pit — a hole
  19. current — of water
  20. chip — for betting
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — a law

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