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: current · mouse · leaves · clip · race · sharp · mark · wind

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — humankind
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. race — the arms race
  7. current — electric
  8. clip — to cut
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. current — happening now
  12. sharp — clever
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. mark — a trace
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. clip — a video
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mark — a grade
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. clip — for paper
  24. current — of water

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