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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. race — a contest
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. race — humankind
  7. staff — employees
  8. cold — not warm
  9. land — ground
  10. firm — a company
  11. tear — to rip
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. firm — steady
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. tear — from crying
  16. staff — a stick
  17. tear — from crying
  18. staff — employees
  19. land — a country
  20. cold — an illness
  21. season — in sport
  22. firm — decided
  23. race — the arms race
  24. mouse — the animal

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