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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. land — ground
  3. rest — a break
  4. season — in sport
  5. current — of water
  6. current — electric
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — clever
  9. land — to come down
  10. rest — what's left
  11. season — of the year
  12. tube — a container
  13. craft — boats
  14. tube — the underground
  15. rest — what's left
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. land — a country
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. current — happening now
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. last — final
  24. season — to add flavour

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