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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. object — to protest
  4. chip — for betting
  5. scale — size or range
  6. object — a thing
  7. row — to paddle
  8. ground — crushed
  9. chip — to eat
  10. ground — a position
  11. row — a line
  12. race — humankind
  13. object — an aim
  14. scale — in music
  15. rush — hurry
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. ground — the earth
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — a contest

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