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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. race — the arms race
  5. pound — a weight
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. capital — money
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. mine — for digging
  11. stem — to come from
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. capital — a city
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. race — a contest
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pound — to hit hard
  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