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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fork — in a road
  4. rash — a series
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. rash — hasty
  8. band — a music group
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. race — the arms race
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. race — humankind
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. band — a ring
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fall — the season
  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