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 124 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. file — a line of people
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. file — a tool
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — happy
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — in football
  12. ground — crushed
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. file — a document
  15. prune — to trim
  16. race — the arms race
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. branch — a division
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ground — a position
  21. race — humankind
  22. ground — the earth
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. branch — of a tree

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