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: track · spring · chair · fork · staff · current · wound · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. staff — employees
  3. current — of water
  4. spring — of water
  5. wound — an injury
  6. toast — bread
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. spring — a coil
  9. track — a path
  10. track — to keep track
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. current — happening now
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. track — a song
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. spring — the season
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. staff — a stick
  20. fork — in a road
  21. chair — a leader
  22. staff — employees
  23. wound — an injury
  24. current — electric

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