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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — a contest
  3. land — ground
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. net — after costs
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. land — a country
  12. net — for catching
  13. march — the month
  14. race — the arms race
  15. land — to come down
  16. ground — crushed
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. march — music
  19. craft — a skill
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. craft — boats
  22. net — in sport
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. march — the month

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