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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. march — music
  3. current — electric
  4. wound — an injury
  5. roll — a cake
  6. chip — for betting
  7. field — for sport
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. current — happening now
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. current — of water
  12. field — farmland
  13. march — the month
  14. field — a subject
  15. roll — a list
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. chip — to eat
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. march — the month
  23. squash — to crush
  24. roll — on a roll

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