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 120 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 · degree · row · wake · hand · race · bat · charge

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  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. hand — in cards
  2. wake — a trail
  3. hand — help
  4. current — happening now
  5. row — to paddle
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. current — of water
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — an amount
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. row — a line
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. charge — a price
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. degree — from a university
  16. current — electric
  17. bat — the animal
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. charge — in control
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — a contest
  23. charge — electricity
  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