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: arm · degree · race · pound · pitcher · bear · cabinet · key

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. degree — from a university
  4. race — the arms race
  5. pound — a weight
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. race — humankind
  8. degree — an amount
  9. race — a contest
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. key — for a lock
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — in music
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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