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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. land — ground
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. land — to come down
  5. tube — the underground
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pop — music
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. capital — a city
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. land — a country
  14. tube — a container
  15. current — of water
  16. pop — to visit
  17. current — happening now
  18. hand — help
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. pop — soda
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. capital — money

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