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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. race — a contest
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. last — finally
  6. court — for sport
  7. race — the arms race
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cue — for pool
  10. last — to go on
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cue — a hint
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. last — final
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a hat
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — to push
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — of law
  22. race — humankind
  23. press — a publisher
  24. straw — a straw man

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