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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. degree — an amount
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. degree — from a university
  6. scale — in music
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bank — of a river
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. degree — temperature
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. rule — government
  13. bank — for money
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bank — for money
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. clip — a video
  18. race — a contest
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. clip — to cut
  23. rule — a law
  24. race — humankind

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