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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bound — obliged
  3. capital — a city
  4. hand — in cards
  5. rest — a break
  6. race — humankind
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. race — a contest
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. hand — help
  14. rest — what's left
  15. capital — money
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. race — the arms race
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bound — tied together
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bound — certain
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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