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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. chest — of your body
  8. current — electric
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. mug — to rob
  12. cold — an illness
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. cold — not warm
  18. mug — a face
  19. kick — in football
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. mug — a cup
  22. sharp — clever
  23. current — of water
  24. fan — to cool the air

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