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: season · clip · nail · land · shower · current · can · temple

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. land — to come down
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. clip — a video
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. current — electric
  11. clip — to cut
  12. season — in sport
  13. current — happening now
  14. shower — rain
  15. can — to be able to
  16. clip — for paper
  17. can — a tin
  18. shower — to wash
  19. can — a tin
  20. land — a country
  21. season — of the year
  22. current — of water
  23. land — ground
  24. nail — for a hammer

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