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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. net — in sport
  5. tube — the underground
  6. deal — to handle
  7. race — humankind
  8. present — a gift
  9. race — a contest
  10. mark — a trace
  11. cell — a phone
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. net — for catching
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cell — in biology
  17. wind — moving air
  18. present — there
  19. tube — a container
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. net — after costs
  23. wind — moving air
  24. race — the arms race

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