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 · degree · chest · bear · chip · shower · bay · drill

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. degree — temperature
  3. current — electric
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chest — a box
  9. shower — rain
  10. bear — the animal
  11. drill — a practice
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. drill — the tool
  15. chip — to eat
  16. degree — an amount
  17. drill — army training
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. shower — to wash
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bear — the animal
  22. current — of water
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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