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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. current — of water
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. swing — music
  6. current — happening now
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. current — electric
  10. shower — to wash
  11. swing — in golf
  12. wound — an injury
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a word
  16. swing — to play on
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. craft — boats
  19. wound — an injury
  20. root — of a plant
  21. rush — hurry
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rush — a thrill

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