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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. track — a path
  4. season — in sport
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. track — to keep track
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rest — what's left
  11. season — of the year
  12. rash — hasty
  13. track — a song
  14. race — a contest
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rash — a series
  17. rest — what's left
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — happy
  20. content — the amount
  21. row — to paddle
  22. race — humankind
  23. rest — a break
  24. row — a line

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