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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. clip — for paper
  5. current — of water
  6. snap — to click
  7. clip — to cut
  8. pop — to visit
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. ball — a great time
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. net — after costs
  13. clip — a video
  14. net — in sport
  15. current — electric
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. net — for catching
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. current — happening now
  24. pitcher — a jug

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