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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. row — a line
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. march — the month
  6. race — humankind
  7. tube — the underground
  8. race — a contest
  9. fall — to drop
  10. march — music
  11. tube — a container
  12. fall — the season
  13. race — the arms race
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. row — to paddle
  18. rock — a stone
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. rock — music
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. march — the month

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