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: bay · current · chair · clip · bound · rule · bat · pop

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bound — certain
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. clip — a video
  5. pop — music
  6. current — electric
  7. clip — for paper
  8. current — happening now
  9. bound — obliged
  10. chair — a leader
  11. pop — to visit
  12. rule — government
  13. current — of water
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. clip — to cut
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bound — tied together
  22. pop — soda
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. rule — to rule out

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