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: can · rule · current · clip · net · game · hand · craft

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. clip — to cut
  5. hand — in cards
  6. net — after costs
  7. craft — a skill
  8. net — for catching
  9. game — wild animals
  10. clip — a video
  11. net — in sport
  12. rule — a law
  13. current — electric
  14. can — a tin
  15. current — of water
  16. craft — boats
  17. clip — for paper
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. rule — government
  20. can — a tin
  21. game — a match
  22. hand — help
  23. current — happening now
  24. can — to be able to

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