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: current · suit · prune · fine · cold · wound · kid · saw

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. suit — clothes
  3. fine — all right
  4. wound — an injury
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fine — high quality
  10. current — electric
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. cold — an illness
  13. suit — to fit
  14. current — of water
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. prune — to trim
  19. current — happening now
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. suit — in cards
  22. saw — the tool
  23. kid — child
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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