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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. saw — the tool
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. current — electric
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. current — happening now
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. cold — an illness
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. current — of water
  18. cold — not warm
  19. fine — high quality
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. stem — to come from
  23. wax — to grow
  24. stem — a stem cell

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