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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. charge — in control
  3. current — electric
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. degree — an amount
  8. spell — a short time
  9. current — of water
  10. march — the month
  11. current — happening now
  12. saw — the tool
  13. degree — from a university
  14. charge — electricity
  15. degree — temperature
  16. saw — the tool
  17. march — the month
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. spell — letters
  20. bat — the animal
  21. charge — a price
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. march — music
  24. bat — in an idiom

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