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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. race — a contest
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. can — a tin
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. spring — of water
  9. race — the arms race
  10. spring — the season
  11. drill — army training
  12. squash — the sport
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. race — humankind
  15. can — to be able to
  16. rash — hasty
  17. drill — a practice
  18. can — a tin
  19. ball — a great time
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. drill — the tool
  24. squash — to crush

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