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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. current — happening now
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. pop — to visit
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. current — electric
  9. current — of water
  10. fine — all right
  11. clip — for paper
  12. fine — high quality
  13. clip — to cut
  14. pop — music
  15. last — finally
  16. clip — a video
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. pop — soda
  20. toast — bread
  21. last — final
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of a tree

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