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 had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. current — happening now
  3. swing — to play on
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. game — wild animals
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. current — electric
  8. swing — music
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. drill — army training
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mine — for digging
  17. current — of water
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. swing — in golf
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. sharp — clever
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. drill — the tool

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