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: march · swing · file · sharp · current · branch · board · mine

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. sharp — clever
  3. file — a document
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. current — happening now
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. swing — in golf
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. current — electric
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. mine — for digging
  16. current — of water
  17. swing — to play on
  18. board — to get on
  19. file — a line of people
  20. swing — music
  21. march — the month
  22. file — a tool
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — a division

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