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 124 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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. stem — to come from
  5. present — there
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. race — a contest
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wake — a trail
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — a gift
  16. shower — rain
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. kick — in football
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. race — the arms race
  22. shower — to wash
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. stem — of a plant

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