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: bat · mate · tear · cue · nail · can · race · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. 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. cold — the Cold War
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. cue — a signal
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. tear — from crying
  12. race — humankind
  13. tear — from crying
  14. race — the arms race
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. mate — a friend
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. race — a contest
  21. can — a tin
  22. tear — to rip
  23. cold — not warm
  24. 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