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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. current — happening now
  4. suit — in cards
  5. chest — of your body
  6. current — electric
  7. game — a match
  8. current — of water
  9. spring — a coil
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. suit — to fit
  12. chest — of your body
  13. race — a contest
  14. present — the time now
  15. spring — the season
  16. present — a gift
  17. race — humankind
  18. suit — clothes
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. spring — of water
  22. game — wild animals
  23. race — the arms race
  24. chest — a box

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