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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. cell — a phone
  3. race — humankind
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. track — to keep track
  7. land — ground
  8. vault — a safe
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. track — a path
  11. cell — in biology
  12. land — a country
  13. charge — electricity
  14. track — a song
  15. charge — a price
  16. race — a contest
  17. row — a line
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. charge — in control
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. race — the arms race
  23. row — to paddle
  24. land — to come down

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