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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. current — electric
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. chair — a leader
  9. game — wild animals
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. current — of water
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lean — thin
  16. race — humankind
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. race — a contest
  19. tear — to rip
  20. race — the arms race
  21. lean — to bend
  22. current — happening now
  23. tear — from crying
  24. game — a match

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