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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. squash — to crush
  7. race — humankind
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. squash — the sport
  12. tube — the underground
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. race — a contest
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. race — the arms race
  22. tube — a container
  23. row — to paddle
  24. fork — in a road

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