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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. cell — a phone
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. current — of water
  6. bulb — for light
  7. drill — the tool
  8. court — of a king
  9. bulb — for light
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. cell — in biology
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. race — humankind
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. roll — a cake
  18. current — happening now
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — a practice
  21. roll — a list
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. band — a ring

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