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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. spell — letters
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. race — the arms race
  8. spell — magic
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. root — of a word
  12. sharp — clever
  13. spell — a short time
  14. root — of a plant
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. race — humankind
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. root — the cause

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