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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. current — happening now
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mine — for digging
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. current — of water
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. march — the month
  12. craft — boats
  13. saw — the tool
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stem — to come from
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. scale — size or range
  20. craft — a skill
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. scale — in music
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. current — electric

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