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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. current — electric
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pop — music
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mate — to breed
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. pop — to visit
  14. mate — a partner
  15. current — of water
  16. wind — moving air
  17. current — happening now
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pop — soda
  21. mate — a friend
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. sharp — clever
  24. wind — to turn a key

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