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 · current · hide · spring · wind · leaves · cold · track

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. current — happening now
  3. spring — the season
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. track — a song
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. wind — moving air
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. drill — a practice
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — not warm
  13. current — electric
  14. drill — the tool
  15. track — a path
  16. current — of water
  17. spring — of water
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cold — an illness
  20. track — to keep track
  21. drill — army training
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. spring — a coil

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