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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. land — ground
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. race — the arms race
  7. land — to come down
  8. pop — music
  9. court — of a king
  10. pop — soda
  11. wind — moving air
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. lean — thin
  18. race — a contest
  19. foot — a measure
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. land — a country
  23. pop — to visit
  24. wind — moving air

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