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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. current — electric
  3. wind — moving air
  4. current — happening now
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — final
  7. scale — in music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — electricity
  12. last — finally
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pitch — completely
  20. charge — in control
  21. pop — music
  22. current — of water
  23. pop — soda
  24. pound — for dogs

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