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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. pound — a weight
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. march — the month
  5. wind — moving air
  6. plane — a tool
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. march — the month
  12. current — electric
  13. wind — moving air
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. current — of water
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. current — happening now
  18. march — music
  19. bat — the animal
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. calf — a young animal

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