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 · fine · ground · jam · calf · plane · hand · tear

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — help
  3. tear — to rip
  4. fine — high quality
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. fine — all right
  7. race — the arms race
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. race — a contest
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. tear — from crying
  17. race — humankind
  18. ground — a position
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — crushed
  24. jam — a tight spot

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