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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. race — the arms race
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. degree — temperature
  9. scale — size or range
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. mine — for digging
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. race — a contest
  15. lean — thin
  16. degree — from a university
  17. race — humankind
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. chest — of your body
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. chest — a box
  22. scale — in music
  23. lean — to bend
  24. degree — an amount

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