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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. race — a contest
  3. current — of water
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. row — to paddle
  6. file — a line of people
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. row — a line
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. date — the fruit
  17. current — happening now
  18. race — the arms race
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. race — humankind
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a document
  24. date — on the calendar

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