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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chest — of your body
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. race — the arms race
  9. game — wild animals
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. race — a contest
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chest — of your body
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. plane — a tool
  18. race — humankind
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chest — a box
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. nail — for a hammer

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