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: jam · mouse · drill · game · current · field · hand · hide

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. drill — a practice
  3. current — electric
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. field — for sport
  6. game — wild animals
  7. current — of water
  8. current — happening now
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. game — a match
  14. field — a subject
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. field — farmland
  21. drill — army training
  22. hand — help
  23. drill — the tool
  24. hide — animal skin

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