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 120 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wound — an injury
  3. current — electric
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. kid — child
  6. current — happening now
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. key — for a lock
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. key — the most important part
  13. current — of water
  14. kid — to tease
  15. pound — a weight
  16. land — to come down
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. key — in music
  19. ground — the earth
  20. land — ground
  21. ground — crushed
  22. wound — an injury
  23. ground — a position
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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