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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. deal — to handle
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. current — electric
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mine — for digging
  11. current — of water
  12. scale — in music
  13. current — happening now
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — not warm
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. mug — to rob
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. mug — a face
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. mouse — the animal

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