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: tear · craft · wound · toast · race · ball

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. tear — to rip
  3. craft — boats
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. craft — a skill
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. race — a contest
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. wound — an injury
  13. ball — a dance
  14. race — humankind
  15. ball — a great time
  16. toast — bread
  17. race — the arms race
  18. wound — an injury

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