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: stem · current · band · clip · roll · racket · content · chair

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. roll — a list
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. roll — a cake
  9. stem — to come from
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. band — a ring
  13. content — the amount
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. band — a music group
  16. clip — for paper
  17. current — of water
  18. current — happening now
  19. content — happy
  20. clip — to cut
  21. chair — a leader
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. clip — a video

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