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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. board — to get on
  3. kid — child
  4. drill — a practice
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. vault — a safe
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — army training
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. race — the arms race
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. cold — not warm
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. prune — to trim
  23. race — humankind
  24. board — a committee

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