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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. current — electric
  4. squash — the sport
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. tear — to rip
  7. current — happening now
  8. rash — hasty
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. tear — from crying
  13. band — a music group
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. game — wild animals
  16. stem — to come from
  17. band — a ring
  18. squash — to crush
  19. tear — from crying
  20. current — of water
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. game — a match

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