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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. swing — in golf
  4. cap — of ice
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. cap — a hat
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. tube — a container
  9. firm — decided
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. race — the arms race
  12. board — a committee
  13. tube — the underground
  14. race — humankind
  15. wound — an injury
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. race — a contest
  18. swing — music
  19. firm — a company
  20. cap — a lid
  21. swing — to play on
  22. board — to get on
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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