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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. spring — of water
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. game — a match
  6. shower — to wash
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. current — electric
  13. game — wild animals
  14. spring — the season
  15. current — happening now
  16. spring — a coil
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. tear — from crying
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. tear — from crying
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. tear — to rip

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