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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. race — humankind
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. season — in sport
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. season — of the year
  9. shower — to wash
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in biology
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rock — music
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. race — the arms race
  21. rock — a stone
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. race — a contest
  24. mine — belonging to me

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