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: current · scale · bore · hand · chair · fall · squash · bark

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. 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. fall — to drop
  2. current — happening now
  3. fall — the season
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — in music
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. squash — the sport
  9. current — electric
  10. current — of water
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bark — to shout
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. chair — a leader
  19. bore — to drill
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bore — to tire
  23. hand — help
  24. 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