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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. ground — the earth
  4. current — electric
  5. current — happening now
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. shower — rain
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. last — to go on
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. shower — to wash
  15. last — finally
  16. ground — crushed
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. current — of water
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a match
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. last — final
  24. rush — hurry

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