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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. content — the amount
  3. current — of water
  4. cold — an illness
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. press — a publisher
  7. content — happy
  8. rash — hasty
  9. press — newspapers
  10. last — to go on
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. current — electric
  14. cold — not warm
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. branch — a division
  18. rash — a series
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. last — final
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. current — happening now
  24. press — to push

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