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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — to handle
  4. tear — to rip
  5. race — the arms race
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. file — a line of people
  8. race — a contest
  9. present — there
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. present — the time now
  12. race — humankind
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a document
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. rest — what's left
  24. present — a gift

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