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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. tear — from crying
  3. drill — the tool
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — the arms race
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. mug — a face
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bass — the fish
  13. mug — a cup
  14. drill — army training
  15. kid — to tease
  16. file — a tool
  17. kid — child
  18. bass — low music
  19. file — a document
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. file — a line of people
  23. wake — a trail
  24. mug — to rob

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