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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. current — electric
  4. current — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. court — of a king
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. net — after costs
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. squash — the sport
  18. net — in sport
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. current — happening now
  21. spring — a coil
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. spring — of water
  24. net — for catching

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