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 · current · hide · chair · spell · file · rash · game

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. current — happening now
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. spell — a short time
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. spell — letters
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. spell — magic
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. game — wild animals
  13. file — a line of people
  14. current — electric
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. file — a tool
  17. game — a match
  18. rash — hasty
  19. current — of water
  20. file — a document
  21. march — the month
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. chair — a leader

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