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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. field — a subject
  3. race — a contest
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. spell — a short time
  7. chest — of your body
  8. court — for sport
  9. spell — magic
  10. track — to keep track
  11. spell — letters
  12. present — the time now
  13. track — a song
  14. court — of a king
  15. present — a gift
  16. key — the most important part
  17. race — humankind
  18. track — a path
  19. key — in music
  20. present — there
  21. chest — a box
  22. key — for a lock
  23. chest — of your body
  24. court — of law

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