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 120 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. present — the time now
  3. race — humankind
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bore — to tire
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. net — after costs
  12. ground — a position
  13. bore — to drill
  14. net — for catching
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pit — in a race
  17. net — in sport
  18. ground — crushed
  19. pit — a hole
  20. race — the arms race
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — there

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