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 124 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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bass — low music
  3. race — humankind
  4. pit — in a race
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. race — a contest
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. mine — for digging
  10. stock — goods
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. rush — hurry
  15. stock — shares
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. pit — a hole
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bore — to tire
  21. scale — in music
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bore — gave birth

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