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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. land — ground
  3. current — of water
  4. stand — to bear
  5. current — electric
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a face
  8. last — to go on
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. last — final
  12. wind — moving air
  13. land — a country
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. current — happening now
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. land — to come down
  18. capital — a city
  19. bat — the animal
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. mug — a cup
  22. wind — moving air
  23. capital — money
  24. last — finally

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