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: capital · pop · track · mine · ruler · bat · race · straw

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. track — a song
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. track — a path
  8. bat — the animal
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. track — to keep track
  13. capital — a city
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. capital — money
  16. race — a contest
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. race — humankind
  19. pop — to visit
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. mine — for digging
  24. ruler — a monarch

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