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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · cap · file · bat · race · toast

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — a contest
  4. cap — a hat
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. race — humankind
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. toast — bread
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. pit — a hole
  13. cap — of ice
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. pit — in a race
  16. file — a document
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bat — the animal

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