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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. rush — hurry
  4. snap — to click
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — of law
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. squash — to crush
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. current — electric
  11. squash — the sport
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fork — in a road
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. court — for sport
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. current — happening now
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. current — of water

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