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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. race — humankind
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. face — to point toward
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. stand — to bear
  8. race — the arms race
  9. mark — a trace
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. face — to confront
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. mark — a grade
  18. pass — a permit
  19. face — part of the head
  20. race — a contest
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cold — not warm

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