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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. current — electric
  4. bat — the animal
  5. current — of water
  6. shower — rain
  7. squash — to crush
  8. pop — music
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. land — a country
  11. kick — in football
  12. swing — to play on
  13. shower — to wash
  14. land — to come down
  15. swing — music
  16. pop — to visit
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. land — ground
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. squash — the sport
  22. swing — in golf
  23. pop — soda
  24. current — happening now

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