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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. current — electric
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. prune — to trim
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. prune — to trim
  9. clip — for paper
  10. current — of water
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. cell — a phone
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. cell — in biology
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — a video
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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