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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. degree — an amount
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. chest — of your body
  6. race — the arms race
  7. board — to get on
  8. roll — a cake
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — from a university
  11. roll — a list
  12. bear — the animal
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. pit — a hole
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bear — the animal
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. race — humankind
  20. board — a committee
  21. chest — a box
  22. pit — in a race
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bear — to put up with

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