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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. race — a contest
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. chair — a leader
  6. race — the arms race
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. present — there
  9. net — for catching
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. present — a gift
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. file — a document
  16. net — after costs
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. net — in sport
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. race — humankind
  22. perch — the fish
  23. present — the time now
  24. file — a line of people

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