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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. current — electric
  3. bank — of a river
  4. band — a music group
  5. last — finally
  6. current — happening now
  7. band — a ring
  8. net — in sport
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. last — to go on
  11. current — of water
  12. bank — for money
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. row — a line
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. net — for catching
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bank — for money
  22. net — after costs
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. band — a rubber band

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