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: kick · land · fall · current · net · snap · mouse · ground

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. snap — to click
  5. ground — the earth
  6. net — for catching
  7. fall — the season
  8. land — to come down
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. fall — to drop
  11. current — electric
  12. ground — a position
  13. current — happening now
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. land — ground
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. kick — in football
  18. net — in sport
  19. fall — to drop
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. land — a country
  22. current — of water
  23. net — after costs
  24. ground — crushed

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