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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. race — humankind
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. craft — boats
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. race — the arms race
  9. field — farmland
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. field — a subject
  12. branch — a division
  13. stock — goods
  14. race — a contest
  15. field — for sport
  16. stock — shares
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. wake — a trail
  22. craft — a skill
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. stock — a soup base

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