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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · fall · cell · chair · scale · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. scale — in music
  3. chair — a leader
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. current — electric
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. current — happening now
  11. cell — in biology
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. fall — to drop
  14. scale — size or range
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. cell — a phone
  18. scale — for weighing

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