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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. race — humankind
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bound — obliged
  6. key — the most important part
  7. field — farmland
  8. sharp — clever
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bound — tied together
  12. key — in music
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. bound — certain
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. race — a contest
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. key — for a lock
  23. race — the arms race
  24. ruler — for measuring

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