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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. land — to come down
  5. current — electric
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. land — ground
  11. current — of water
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. chip — to eat
  14. degree — an amount
  15. chip — for betting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. snap — to click
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. degree — temperature
  21. wax — to grow
  22. degree — from a university
  23. land — a country
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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