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 · charge · rock · chest · season · root · cell · spring

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rock — music
  4. spring — the season
  5. season — in sport
  6. charge — electricity
  7. root — of a plant
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. root — of a word
  11. chest — a box
  12. current — of water
  13. charge — a price
  14. cell — a phone
  15. spring — of water
  16. chest — of your body
  17. spring — a coil
  18. rock — a stone
  19. season — of the year
  20. root — the cause
  21. current — happening now
  22. charge — in control
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — in biology

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