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 120 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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. current — happening now
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. prune — to trim
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — in control
  7. current — electric
  8. content — the amount
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. cold — not warm
  11. object — a thing
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. charge — a price
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. object — an aim
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. object — to protest
  19. cold — an illness
  20. current — of water
  21. prune — to trim
  22. content — happy
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — low music

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