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 116 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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  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. swing — to play on
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. fall — to drop
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — in music
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. prune — to trim
  16. key — for a lock
  17. hand — help
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. prune — to trim
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. swing — music
  23. hand — in cards
  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