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: swing · current · pound · roll · pop · cell · drill · last

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. roll — a cake
  3. last — final
  4. pop — soda
  5. last — finally
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — army training
  8. pop — to visit
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. cell — a phone
  11. drill — the tool
  12. roll — a list
  13. swing — music
  14. last — to go on
  15. current — of water
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — electric
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pop — music
  22. swing — in golf
  23. cell — in biology
  24. pound — a weight

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