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 120 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: tube · cold · hide · current · pitch · fall · ground · fork

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. pitch — completely
  4. current — electric
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. tube — the underground
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fall — the season
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. ground — crushed
  15. cold — an illness
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cold — not warm
  18. ground — the earth
  19. tube — a container
  20. fall — to drop
  21. ground — a position
  22. current — happening now
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. cold — the Cold War

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