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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. face — part of the head
  3. mate — a friend
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. mate — a partner
  9. race — humankind
  10. mate — to breed
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. wind — moving air
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. race — the arms race
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. chair — a leader
  19. wind — moving air
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. face — to confront
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. trunk — of a car

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