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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. race — humankind
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. file — a document
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. file — a line of people
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — in football
  12. band — a music group
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. race — the arms race
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. race — a contest
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. hand — help
  21. band — a ring
  22. file — a tool
  23. hand — in cards
  24. kick — with a leg

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