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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. race — a contest
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. tube — a container
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. race — the arms race
  10. pound — a weight
  11. race — humankind
  12. field — farmland
  13. march — the month
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. field — for sport
  17. mate — to breed
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. march — the month
  20. field — a subject
  21. tube — the underground
  22. march — music
  23. kick — in football
  24. mate — a friend

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