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 116 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: stand · shower · hand · bat · ground · object · bear · current

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. current — of water
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bat — the animal
  5. object — a thing
  6. current — happening now
  7. object — an aim
  8. stand — to bear
  9. shower — rain
  10. current — electric
  11. ground — a position
  12. bear — the animal
  13. hand — in cards
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. ground — crushed
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. shower — to wash
  19. ground — the earth
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bear — the animal
  22. object — to protest
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. hand — help

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