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 120 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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. spell — magic
  4. race — the arms race
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. firm — decided
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — clever
  11. face — part of the head
  12. race — a contest
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. file — a tool
  15. race — humankind
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bat — the animal
  18. firm — steady
  19. file — a document
  20. spell — a short time
  21. face — to point toward
  22. wound — an injury
  23. face — to confront
  24. spell — letters

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