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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stand — to bear
  7. race — a contest
  8. bark — to shout
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bat — the animal
  13. race — humankind
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. wind — moving air
  24. straw — a straw man

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