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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mark — a trace
  4. object — an aim
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mark — a grade
  8. clip — to cut
  9. object — to protest
  10. last — final
  11. last — to go on
  12. clip — a video
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. object — a thing
  15. degree — from a university
  16. race — the arms race
  17. last — finally
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. degree — an amount
  21. clip — for paper
  22. race — a contest
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. degree — temperature

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