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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. race — the arms race
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. lie — to recline
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cell — in biology
  14. net — after costs
  15. race — a contest
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mark — a trace
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. net — in sport
  20. race — humankind
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. cell — a phone
  23. rash — a series
  24. net — for catching

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