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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. charge — in control
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. key — the most important part
  8. game — a match
  9. race — a contest
  10. charge — electricity
  11. key — in music
  12. charge — a price
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. race — the arms race
  17. saw — the tool
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bat — the animal
  21. game — wild animals
  22. race — humankind
  23. rush — hurry
  24. tube — a container

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