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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. race — humankind
  3. capital — money
  4. race — a contest
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. tear — to rip
  8. cue — for pool
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. race — the arms race
  11. pit — in a race
  12. spell — magic
  13. roll — a list
  14. spell — a short time
  15. capital — a city
  16. pit — a hole
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — a signal
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. roll — a cake
  23. tear — from crying
  24. trunk — of a tree

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