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: tube · club · current · mug · dip · cold · cabinet · can

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. club — a group
  3. current — electric
  4. current — of water
  5. can — to be able to
  6. current — happening now
  7. club — for golf
  8. mug — a cup
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. dip — to sink
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — to rob
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cold — not warm
  16. can — a tin
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — a container
  19. cold — an illness
  20. club — for dancing
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. can — a tin
  24. dip — to dunk

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