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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. rule — a law
  9. row — a line
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. row — to paddle
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. stock — goods
  16. cell — a phone
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. cell — in biology
  19. stock — shares
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — the arms race
  23. rule — government
  24. race — humankind

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