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: bat · current · bowl · capital · saw · snap · ball · drill

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. current — of water
  4. capital — a city
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. drill — army training
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. ball — a great time
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. drill — a practice
  17. capital — money
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. ball — a dance
  20. snap — to click
  21. saw — the tool
  22. current — happening now
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bowl — a football final

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