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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  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. current — electric
  2. game — wild animals
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. kick — in football
  6. clip — a video
  7. branch — a division
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. current — of water
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. clip — to cut
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. game — a match
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. clip — for paper
  21. fork — in a road
  22. date — the fruit
  23. fork — to eat with
  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