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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. ground — a position
  5. current — of water
  6. drill — a practice
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. kid — to tease
  10. current — happening now
  11. cell — a phone
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. current — electric
  14. drill — army training
  15. object — to protest
  16. kid — child
  17. drill — the tool
  18. cell — in biology
  19. ground — crushed
  20. wound — an injury
  21. object — an aim
  22. ground — the earth
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. object — a thing

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