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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. race — the arms race
  3. land — ground
  4. race — humankind
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. chest — of your body
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. drill — a practice
  12. race — a contest
  13. drill — the tool
  14. land — a country
  15. chest — a box
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. chest — of your body
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. land — to come down
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. drill — army training
  24. coach — a trainer

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