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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. race — the arms race
  4. club — a group
  5. bat — the animal
  6. rule — government
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. branch — a division
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. race — a contest
  16. club — for golf
  17. race — humankind
  18. club — for dancing
  19. court — of law
  20. rule — a law
  21. wind — moving air
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — for sport
  24. bat — in an idiom

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