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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. saw — the tool
  3. race — humankind
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. race — the arms race
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. plane — a tool
  8. root — of a word
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. root — of a plant
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. race — a contest
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. saw — the tool
  21. root — the cause
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. plane — in geometry

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