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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. ground — a position
  4. race — humankind
  5. file — a tool
  6. court — of a king
  7. race — the arms race
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. file — a line of people
  10. face — to point toward
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. ground — the earth
  14. court — for sport
  15. file — a document
  16. rule — government
  17. ground — crushed
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. race — a contest
  20. face — to confront
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. face — part of the head
  23. court — of law
  24. rule — a law

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