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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. current — of water
  5. clip — a video
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. current — happening now
  8. clip — to cut
  9. club — for dancing
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. club — for golf
  12. current — electric
  13. ball — a dance
  14. march — the month
  15. ball — a great time
  16. clip — for paper
  17. club — a group
  18. plane — a tool
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. march — music
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. march — the month
  24. plane — in geometry

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