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: temple · bark · tube · current · wave · ground · present · bat

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. ground — crushed
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bat — the animal
  5. present — a gift
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. current — electric
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. tube — a container
  16. bark — to shout
  17. present — there
  18. present — the time now
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. ground — the earth
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. current — of water
  23. ground — a position
  24. bat — in an idiom

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