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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. race — a contest
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a friend
  8. chest — of your body
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — music
  14. rash — a series
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bark — to shout
  20. chest — a box
  21. race — humankind
  22. chest — of your body
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. cabinet — ministers

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