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 · cap · wind · wound · ground · mug · field · scale

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. mug — to rob
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wind — moving air
  6. current — electric
  7. ground — crushed
  8. field — farmland
  9. current — of water
  10. cap — of ice
  11. wind — moving air
  12. ground — a position
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — a cup
  15. scale — in music
  16. field — a subject
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. cap — a hat
  19. field — for sport
  20. ground — the earth
  21. scale — size or range
  22. cap — a lid
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wind — to turn a key

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