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: clip · field · shower · mouse · current · wake · last · suit

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. current — electric
  3. current — of water
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — a trail
  7. clip — a video
  8. field — for sport
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. field — farmland
  11. suit — clothes
  12. last — to go on
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. suit — in cards
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. field — a subject
  19. shower — rain
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. current — happening now
  23. clip — to cut
  24. suit — to fit

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