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: squash · saw · row · current · kick · track · cold · straw

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. row — a line
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. row — to paddle
  7. squash — to crush
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cold — an illness
  10. current — electric
  11. kick — in football
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. track — a song
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. squash — the sport
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. track — a path
  22. cold — not warm
  23. current — of water
  24. track — to keep track

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