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 120 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: firm · race · game · coach · court · squash · dip · shower

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. firm — steady
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. shower — to wash
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. game — a match
  7. firm — a company
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. squash — the sport
  11. race — humankind
  12. court — for sport
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. squash — to crush
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. court — of law
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. shower — rain
  20. court — of a king
  21. race — the arms race
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. race — a contest
  24. firm — decided

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