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 120 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 · vault · ground · bulb · drill · mine · fork · capital

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. capital — a city
  3. ground — crushed
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. ground — the earth
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. ground — a position
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bulb — for light
  12. current — happening now
  13. vault — a safe
  14. drill — a practice
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. bulb — for light
  17. drill — army training
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — in a road
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. current — of water
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bulb — of a plant

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