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 116 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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. race — humankind
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. clip — to cut
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. race — the arms race
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. track — to keep track
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. pound — a weight
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. clip — for paper
  14. track — a path
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. season — of the year
  17. clip — a video
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. track — a song
  22. rush — hurry
  23. season — in sport
  24. race — a contest

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