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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bound — certain
  3. tear — to rip
  4. ground — the earth
  5. race — a contest
  6. bound — tied together
  7. spell — magic
  8. file — a tool
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. ground — a position
  11. file — a line of people
  12. race — the arms race
  13. bound — obliged
  14. tear — from crying
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. race — humankind
  17. stock — goods
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. spell — a short time
  21. file — a document
  22. spell — letters
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stock — shares

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