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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · cap · ground · foot · current · roll · bass · rash

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. current — electric
  3. cap — a hat
  4. current — happening now
  5. rash — a series
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. ground — crushed
  8. rash — hasty
  9. roll — a cake
  10. ground — a position
  11. bass — low music
  12. cap — of ice
  13. ground — the earth
  14. current — of water
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. roll — a list
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cap — a lid
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bass — the fish

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