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

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — for a lock
  3. race — the arms race
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — not warm
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. key — the most important part
  8. sharp — clever
  9. last — finally
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. race — a contest
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cold — an illness
  16. last — to go on
  17. race — humankind
  18. last — final

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