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: wake · cell · mine · lie · net · current · march · plane

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. march — the month
  3. current — of water
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. lie — to recline
  6. net — in sport
  7. mine — for digging
  8. cell — a phone
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. net — for catching
  11. wake — a trail
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. current — electric
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. plane — a tool
  17. cell — in biology
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. march — music
  22. net — after costs
  23. march — the month
  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