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 116 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. present — there
  3. chair — a leader
  4. current — of water
  5. current — happening now
  6. spell — magic
  7. cap — of ice
  8. present — a gift
  9. face — to confront
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. present — the time now
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. shower — to wash
  15. spell — a short time
  16. face — to point toward
  17. shower — rain
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bass — low music
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. spell — letters
  24. bass — the fish

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