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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. sharp — clever
  3. clip — to cut
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — a contest
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — music
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. content — the amount
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pop — soda
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. rash — hasty
  17. content — happy
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rash — a series
  24. foot — a measure

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