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: clip · rash · current · wound · coach · object · ground · fan

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. object — an aim
  4. rash — hasty
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. current — electric
  7. current — happening now
  8. rash — a series
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. clip — to cut
  13. current — of water
  14. object — a thing
  15. ground — the earth
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. ground — a position
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. clip — for paper
  21. object — to protest
  22. clip — a video
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wound — an injury

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