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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. staff — a stick
  3. last — final
  4. board — a committee
  5. face — part of the head
  6. last — to go on
  7. hand — in cards
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. race — a contest
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. race — the arms race
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wax — to grow
  15. last — finally
  16. staff — employees
  17. plane — a tool
  18. face — to confront
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. staff — employees
  24. board — to get on

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