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 · present · leaves · degree · last · cue · pit · drill

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. present — there
  3. current — electric
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. drill — the tool
  6. cue — a hint
  7. degree — an amount
  8. last — finally
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. current — of water
  12. cue — for pool
  13. pit — a hole
  14. cue — a signal
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. drill — a practice
  17. present — a gift
  18. degree — from a university
  19. drill — army training
  20. degree — temperature
  21. current — happening now
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. last — to go on
  24. present — the time now

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