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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. scale — size or range
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — in a road
  5. current — happening now
  6. rule — a law
  7. current — electric
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. scale — in music
  13. pit — a hole
  14. prune — to trim
  15. row — to paddle
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pit — in a race
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — the time now
  20. current — of water
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. present — there
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. rule — government

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