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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. current — happening now
  3. spring — of water
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. court — for sport
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. chair — a leader
  10. fork — in a road
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. cold — an illness
  13. court — of a king
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. spring — the season
  16. cold — not warm
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. current — electric
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. current — of water
  22. spring — a coil
  23. court — of law
  24. chair — to sit on

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