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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. current — happening now
  3. charge — a price
  4. degree — an amount
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. current — electric
  7. degree — from a university
  8. can — a tin
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. field — for sport
  13. charge — electricity
  14. degree — temperature
  15. pit — a hole
  16. can — a tin
  17. pit — in a race
  18. field — farmland
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. current — of water
  21. bat — the animal
  22. charge — in control
  23. field — a subject
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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