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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — a contest
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. roll — a cake
  7. land — to come down
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. land — a country
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. roll — a list
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. land — ground
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. pound — a weight
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. pitcher — a jug

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