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 · land · sharp · racket · bank · object · wound · spring

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. spring — of water
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. sharp — clever
  6. spring — a coil
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — an aim
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bank — for money
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. object — a thing
  15. land — ground
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. current — electric
  19. spring — the season
  20. bank — for money
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bank — of a river
  23. current — of water
  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