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 120 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: arm · wave · file · bore · clip · current · saw · season

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. current — of water
  3. current — happening now
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. clip — a video
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. current — electric
  14. bore — to tire
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — to cut
  19. file — a tool
  20. bore — to drill
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a line of people

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