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: arm · craft · tear · charge · net · clip · pit · current

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a skill
  3. tear — from crying
  4. current — of water
  5. clip — for paper
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. pit — a hole
  9. clip — to cut
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. net — in sport
  12. tear — from crying
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. current — happening now
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — a price
  18. pit — in a race
  19. tear — to rip
  20. clip — a video
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. current — electric
  23. charge — electricity
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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