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 116 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: current · rule · spring · can · net · rest · fall · hand

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. rule — government
  5. current — electric
  6. net — for catching
  7. spring — the season
  8. hand — help
  9. fall — the season
  10. current — of water
  11. hand — in cards
  12. fall — to drop
  13. can — to be able to
  14. spring — of water
  15. can — a tin
  16. rule — a law
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. current — happening now
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rest — a break
  24. spring — a coil

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