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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. suit — in cards
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. chair — a leader
  5. suit — clothes
  6. content — happy
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — the arms race
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. content — the amount
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. suit — to fit
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. race — humankind
  23. cold — an illness
  24. temple — a place of worship

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