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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. rest — what's left
  3. spell — letters
  4. current — of water
  5. current — electric
  6. press — to push
  7. rest — a break
  8. press — a publisher
  9. race — the arms race
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. spell — a short time
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. race — humankind
  17. perch — the fish
  18. stem — to come from
  19. spell — magic
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rest — what's left
  22. press — newspapers
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. race — a contest

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