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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. present — the time now
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. object — an aim
  7. current — happening now
  8. object — a thing
  9. pop — soda
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — a line
  12. pop — to visit
  13. cell — a phone
  14. current — of water
  15. row — to paddle
  16. present — a gift
  17. land — a country
  18. cell — in biology
  19. current — electric
  20. pop — music
  21. present — there
  22. land — ground
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. land — to come down

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