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: current · field · rush · land · bear · tube · hand · kick

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bear — the animal
  3. field — farmland
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. tube — a container
  10. current — happening now
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. land — to come down
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bear — the animal
  15. current — electric
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. land — a country
  18. kick — in football
  19. current — of water
  20. land — ground
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. rush — hurry
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. hand — help

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