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 116 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. race — a contest
  5. craft — boats
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. capital — a city
  8. craft — a skill
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — to cut
  13. capital — money
  14. race — humankind
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. cue — for pool
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. clip — for paper
  22. cue — a signal
  23. race — the arms race
  24. cue — a hint

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