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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. race — humankind
  3. sharp — clever
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. club — for golf
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. race — a contest
  8. wound — an injury
  9. key — in music
  10. race — the arms race
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. wound — an injury
  16. club — a group
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. stem — to come from
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. key — for a lock
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. club — for dancing
  24. branch — a division

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