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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. game — a match
  3. perch — the fish
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. game — wild animals
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. chest — of your body
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chest — a box
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. chip — to eat
  21. current — of water
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. current — electric

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