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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. race — a contest
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. spring — of water
  9. scale — in music
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. cold — not warm
  12. rest — what's left
  13. spring — a coil
  14. scale — size or range
  15. spring — the season
  16. race — humankind
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. rest — a break
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to drill
  22. cold — an illness
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bore — to tire

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