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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. object — a thing
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. kid — child
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. current — happening now
  8. field — a subject
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. field — for sport
  15. shower — to wash
  16. wake — a trail
  17. object — to protest
  18. field — farmland
  19. shower — rain
  20. current — of water
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. object — an aim
  23. pass — a permit
  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