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: spell · race · pitcher · pop · chest · current · straw · cold

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. race — the arms race
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cold — an illness
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. race — humankind
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — electric
  10. pop — soda
  11. spell — a short time
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pop — to visit
  16. spell — letters
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. spell — magic
  20. race — a contest
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pop — music
  23. current — of water
  24. cold — the Cold War

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