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: pound · drill · bat · current · roll · nail · ground · mug

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bat — the animal
  4. mug — a face
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. ground — the earth
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. current — of water
  10. ground — crushed
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. drill — army training
  15. current — happening now
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. current — electric
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. ground — a position
  21. roll — a list
  22. mug — to rob
  23. pound — a weight
  24. nail — for a hammer

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