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: mine · hand · bowl · spring · pitcher · ball · pop · current

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. pop — to visit
  3. hand — in cards
  4. ball — a great time
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. current — happening now
  13. spring — of water
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — music
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ball — a dance
  22. hand — help
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. current — of water

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