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: drill · wound · rush · bass · dip · current · field · bowl

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. rush — hurry
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. current — electric
  5. wound — an injury
  6. field — for sport
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. drill — a practice
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — a subject
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. drill — army training
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. current — of water
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. drill — the tool
  23. wound — an injury
  24. current — happening now

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