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: race · mouse · chip · rush · stem · row · date · swing

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. swing — to play on
  3. rush — hurry
  4. row — to paddle
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. race — a contest
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. chip — for betting
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. chip — to eat
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — a line
  15. stem — to come from
  16. race — the arms race
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. race — humankind
  19. date — the fruit
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. swing — in golf
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. mouse — for a computer

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