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 116 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: dip · kid · race · rash · deal · mine · spring · rule

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. rash — hasty
  3. spring — the season
  4. kid — child
  5. mine — for digging
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — government
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. dip — to sink
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. kid — to tease
  12. deal — to handle
  13. rule — a law
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. spring — a coil
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. race — humankind
  20. spring — of water
  21. rash — a series
  22. race — the arms race
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. mine — belonging to me

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