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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. charge — electricity
  3. pit — in a race
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. current — electric
  6. charge — in control
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pit — a hole
  9. cold — not warm
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. mine — for digging
  12. cold — an illness
  13. charge — a price
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. perch — the fish
  18. tear — from crying
  19. stem — to come from
  20. current — happening now
  21. tear — to rip
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. current — of water
  24. mine — an explosive

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