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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. current — happening now
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. stock — shares
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. degree — temperature
  11. chest — a box
  12. last — to go on
  13. current — of water
  14. degree — from a university
  15. last — final
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chest — of your body
  18. last — finally
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. degree — an amount
  23. stock — goods
  24. current — electric

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