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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. can — to be able to
  4. bat — the animal
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — rain
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. can — a tin
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. current — happening now
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. current — electric
  15. current — of water
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. object — to protest
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — an illness
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — a thing
  24. can — a tin

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