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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. club — a group
  3. firm — decided
  4. race — the arms race
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — a position
  7. club — for golf
  8. fine — all right
  9. firm — a company
  10. club — for dancing
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. race — a contest
  13. drill — a practice
  14. race — humankind
  15. cold — not warm
  16. fine — high quality
  17. drill — army training
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. ground — the earth
  21. cold — an illness
  22. drill — the tool
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. calf — of the leg

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