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: rock · bore · bat · current · field · cue · land · lean

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. current — happening now
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. land — ground
  5. cue — a hint
  6. current — electric
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bore — to tire
  9. field — for sport
  10. cue — for pool
  11. field — farmland
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bat — the animal
  15. field — a subject
  16. land — to come down
  17. current — of water
  18. lean — thin
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. cue — a signal
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bat — in an idiom

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