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: can · current · lean · bat · field · degree · kid · wave

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. current — of water
  3. current — electric
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. field — for sport
  6. can — to be able to
  7. degree — an amount
  8. lean — thin
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. can — a tin
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. current — happening now
  20. degree — from a university
  21. can — a tin
  22. bat — the animal
  23. degree — temperature
  24. lean — to bend

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