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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. race — a contest
  3. mate — a partner
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. race — humankind
  7. mate — to breed
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. file — a document
  10. band — a ring
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — to eat
  13. mate — a friend
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. file — a tool
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. chip — for betting
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. band — a music group
  21. race — the arms race
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. file — a line of people

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