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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — the arms race
  4. present — the time now
  5. race — humankind
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. present — there
  9. bore — to tire
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. present — a gift
  17. bore — to drill
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. scale — in music

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