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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  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. rest — a break
  2. firm — steady
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. rest — what's left
  7. object — a thing
  8. object — an aim
  9. mate — a friend
  10. race — humankind
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. mate — a partner
  15. rest — what's left
  16. firm — a company
  17. kid — to tease
  18. mate — to breed
  19. cold — an illness
  20. kid — child
  21. object — to protest
  22. race — the arms race
  23. firm — decided
  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