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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. race — the arms race
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. hand — in cards
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — an illness
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. race — humankind
  15. cold — not warm
  16. race — a contest
  17. mark — a trace
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pass — a permit
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mark — a grade
  24. pass — to spend time

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