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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. rush — hurry
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. game — wild animals
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pit — a hole
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. track — to keep track
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. clip — to cut
  15. track — a path
  16. race — the arms race
  17. track — a song
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. race — a contest
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. race — humankind
  23. pit — in a race
  24. nail — on a finger

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