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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. current — of water
  3. last — finally
  4. current — electric
  5. march — the month
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. last — to go on
  9. current — happening now
  10. march — music
  11. ground — crushed
  12. last — final
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bear — the animal
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — a contest
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. march — the month
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bear — the animal

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