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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. chair — a leader
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spring — a coil
  5. current — of water
  6. spell — magic
  7. content — the amount
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. spring — the season
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. current — electric
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. spring — of water
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. content — happy
  23. spell — letters
  24. current — happening now

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