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 116 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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. saw — the tool
  3. field — a subject
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. field — for sport
  6. race — the arms race
  7. saw — the tool
  8. field — farmland
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pitch — completely
  12. shower — rain
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. shower — to wash
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — a contest
  18. wind — to turn a key

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