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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. drill — army training
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a song
  5. club — for dancing
  6. race — humankind
  7. drill — the tool
  8. rush — hurry
  9. race — the arms race
  10. club — for golf
  11. cold — an illness
  12. track — a path
  13. face — part of the head
  14. prune — to trim
  15. face — to confront
  16. cold — not warm
  17. prune — to trim
  18. club — a group
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. drill — a practice
  21. race — a contest
  22. face — to point toward
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. rush — a thrill

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