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: pop · game · can · staff · wave · bat · dip · current

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. staff — employees
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a match
  5. can — a tin
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. current — electric
  12. pop — to visit
  13. can — a tin
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — of water
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. staff — employees
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bat — the animal
  22. pop — soda
  23. dip — to sink
  24. staff — a stick

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