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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. current — happening now
  3. snap — to click
  4. rest — what's left
  5. current — of water
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. current — electric
  8. tear — from crying
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. chair — a leader
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. wound — an injury
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. rest — a break
  18. perch — the fish
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — humankind
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. race — a contest

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