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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wound — an injury
  3. court — for sport
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — humankind
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. net — after costs
  10. mine — for digging
  11. race — the arms race
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. game — a match
  14. court — of a king
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. net — in sport
  17. game — wild animals
  18. court — of law
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. net — for catching
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. mine — an explosive

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