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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. race — a contest
  3. fine — high quality
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. spell — a short time
  6. charge — electricity
  7. land — a country
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — a price
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. pit — a hole
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pit — in a race
  16. race — the arms race
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. spell — letters
  19. land — ground
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spell — magic
  22. land — to come down
  23. race — humankind
  24. pitcher — a jug

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