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: chair · current · cold · snap · present · pop · board · bulb

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. pop — soda
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. cold — not warm
  5. chair — a leader
  6. current — electric
  7. board — a committee
  8. present — there
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. cold — an illness
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pop — music
  15. board — to get on
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. current — of water
  19. snap — to click
  20. present — a gift
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. present — the time now

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