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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. fine — all right
  3. race — humankind
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. race — a contest
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fine — high quality
  8. mine — for digging
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. kid — child
  14. race — the arms race
  15. wound — an injury
  16. kid — to tease
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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