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: ground · swing · nail · hand · band · pound · spell · current

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. spell — magic
  3. band — a music group
  4. hand — help
  5. current — happening now
  6. hand — in cards
  7. spell — a short time
  8. current — of water
  9. ground — crushed
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. current — electric
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — in golf
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. ground — the earth
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. pound — a weight
  20. spell — letters
  21. ground — a position
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. band — a ring
  24. nail — for a hammer

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