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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — humankind
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bound — obliged
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. drill — army training
  9. race — the arms race
  10. rush — hurry
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bound — tied together
  13. scale — size or range
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. drill — the tool
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. scale — in music
  19. bound — certain
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — a tool
  24. scale — for weighing

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