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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. tube — the underground
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. snap — to click
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. game — wild animals
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. capital — a city
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — a match
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. tube — a container
  19. capital — money
  20. race — the arms race
  21. toast — bread
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. race — humankind
  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