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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bat — the animal
  3. capital — money
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. sharp — clever
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. race — humankind
  8. tube — a container
  9. race — a contest
  10. tube — the underground
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. capital — a city
  15. bore — to drill
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. vault — a safe
  18. race — the arms race
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to tire
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. coach — a trainer

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