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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. race — a contest
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. hand — help
  7. spring — the season
  8. file — a tool
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. hand — in cards
  11. scale — size or range
  12. firm — decided
  13. race — humankind
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. file — a document
  16. scale — in music
  17. spring — a coil
  18. file — a line of people
  19. race — the arms race
  20. firm — a company
  21. spring — of water
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — to breed
  24. firm — steady

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