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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — of water
  3. bulb — for light
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bulb — for light
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. craft — boats
  8. chip — to eat
  9. clip — for paper
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. clip — a video
  13. ball — a dance
  14. capital — money
  15. craft — a skill
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. chip — for betting
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. current — happening now
  23. capital — a city
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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