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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. shower — to wash
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. tube — the underground
  7. mine — for digging
  8. race — a contest
  9. cap — a lid
  10. charge — a price
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. race — the arms race
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. charge — electricity
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — a container
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. cap — of ice
  19. charge — in control
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. race — humankind
  23. cap — a hat
  24. shower — rain

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