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 120 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 · clip · rock · calf · pop · spring · present · perch

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. current — electric
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. spring — of water
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. current — of water
  7. clip — a video
  8. rock — a stone
  9. pop — to visit
  10. present — there
  11. spring — the season
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. spring — a coil
  15. clip — to cut
  16. present — the time now
  17. clip — for paper
  18. rock — music
  19. current — happening now
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. pop — music
  22. perch — the fish
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pop — soda

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