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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. present — a gift
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bank — for money
  6. net — for catching
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — not warm
  9. current — electric
  10. present — there
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bank — of a river
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. wound — an injury
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. current — of water
  19. net — after costs
  20. present — the time now
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. net — in sport
  23. current — happening now
  24. board — to get on

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