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: kid · current · can · capital · foot · field · bass · swing

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. current — electric
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. can — a tin
  5. field — a subject
  6. current — happening now
  7. bass — the fish
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. swing — in golf
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — money
  12. current — of water
  13. kid — to tease
  14. can — a tin
  15. swing — to play on
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. kid — child
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. bass — low music
  22. foot — a measure
  23. swing — music
  24. capital — a city

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