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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — happening now
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. mine — for digging
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. wind — moving air
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. fork — in a road
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. pound — a weight
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. court — for sport
  13. cold — an illness
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. court — of a king
  17. cold — not warm
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. current — of water
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. dip — to sink
  23. wind — moving air
  24. court — of law

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