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 shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. current — of water
  3. present — there
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. present — a gift
  6. net — for catching
  7. pass — a permit
  8. net — after costs
  9. current — electric
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fine — all right
  12. rest — a break
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. net — in sport
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. current — happening now
  20. tear — from crying
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. rest — what's left
  23. tear — to rip
  24. present — the time now

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