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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. current — of water
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — a measure
  7. current — electric
  8. wound — an injury
  9. content — the amount
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. capital — money
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a committee
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — of water
  18. capital — a city
  19. wound — an injury
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. content — happy
  22. current — happening now
  23. cell — in biology
  24. spring — a coil

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