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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. chip — for betting
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bear — the animal
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — to eat
  10. bass — the fish
  11. race — humankind
  12. bound — obliged
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. last — final
  18. bear — the animal
  19. race — a contest
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bound — certain
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bass — low music

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