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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bound — obliged
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — a committee
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. board — to get on
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. cold — an illness
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. race — humankind
  17. sharp — clever
  18. perch — the fish
  19. cold — not warm
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. race — the arms race

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