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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. clip — a video
  4. current — electric
  5. rash — hasty
  6. swing — in golf
  7. current — of water
  8. swing — to play on
  9. clip — to cut
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. game — a match
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — magic
  16. current — happening now
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. game — wild animals
  19. swing — music
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. clip — for paper
  24. spell — letters

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