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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. charge — a price
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. degree — temperature
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — the arms race
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wound — an injury
  10. charge — electricity
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. degree — from a university
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. charge — in control
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. degree — an amount
  23. rest — what's left
  24. arm — part of the body

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