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: chair · cell · mouse · clip · rest · can · tear · current

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. cell — a phone
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rest — what's left
  5. current — electric
  6. tear — from crying
  7. can — a tin
  8. clip — to cut
  9. current — of water
  10. can — to be able to
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. tear — from crying
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. current — happening now
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. clip — for paper
  18. rest — a break
  19. tear — to rip
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. cell — in biology
  22. can — a tin
  23. rest — what's left
  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