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 120 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. net — after costs
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a line of people
  6. current — happening now
  7. chair — a leader
  8. fork — in a road
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. net — in sport
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. mark — a grade
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. current — electric
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. net — for catching
  18. current — of water
  19. rash — a series
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. rash — hasty
  22. file — a tool
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — to pay attention

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