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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a line
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. swing — music
  6. track — a song
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. clip — for paper
  9. chip — for betting
  10. clip — a video
  11. swing — in golf
  12. clip — to cut
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — of water
  16. band — a music group
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bat — the animal
  19. track — to keep track
  20. band — a ring
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. track — a path
  24. current — electric

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