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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — for golf
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — a contest
  5. club — a group
  6. file — a tool
  7. race — humankind
  8. chip — for betting
  9. last — finally
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. file — a line of people
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. last — to go on
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. file — a document
  23. last — final
  24. rash — a series

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