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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. pound — a weight
  4. hand — help
  5. file — a line of people
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. current — electric
  8. bear — the animal
  9. file — a document
  10. current — of water
  11. wound — an injury
  12. file — a tool
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. kid — to tease
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spell — magic
  18. current — happening now
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — letters
  21. kid — child
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bear — the 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