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 116 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. current — of water
  3. land — a country
  4. current — happening now
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. craft — boats
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. land — ground
  11. craft — a skill
  12. bank — of a river
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bank — for money
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. chair — a leader
  20. row — a line
  21. bank — for money
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. current — electric
  24. row — to paddle

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