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 120 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cap — a lid
  4. game — a match
  5. row — a line
  6. track — a song
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. current — electric
  9. march — the month
  10. game — wild animals
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. track — to keep track
  14. cap — of ice
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. current — happening now
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. track — a path
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. march — the month
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cap — a hat
  23. current — of water
  24. march — music

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