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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. court — of law
  3. wound — an injury
  4. kid — to tease
  5. court — for sport
  6. current — happening now
  7. track — a song
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. craft — a skill
  10. track — to keep track
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mug — a face
  13. craft — boats
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. current — of water
  18. track — a path
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. mug — a cup
  21. kid — child
  22. court — of a king
  23. wound — an injury
  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