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: hand · bat · capital · key · roll · race · ground · march

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. key — in music
  3. ground — crushed
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. capital — money
  6. race — the arms race
  7. roll — a cake
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. march — the month
  12. ground — the earth
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. ground — a position
  15. hand — help
  16. capital — a city
  17. bat — the animal
  18. race — a contest
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. race — humankind
  21. march — music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. roll — a list
  24. march — the month

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