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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — in golf
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. race — the arms race
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. present — there
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. swing — music
  10. present — the time now
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. race — a contest
  14. spring — a coil
  15. march — the month
  16. game — a match
  17. capital — money
  18. spring — of water
  19. squash — the sport
  20. present — a gift
  21. game — wild animals
  22. capital — a city
  23. squash — to crush
  24. spring — the season

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