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: craft · bat · bowl · bass · pass · race · hand · branch

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bat — the animal
  5. hand — help
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. race — a contest
  13. branch — a division
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bass — the fish
  19. craft — a skill
  20. bass — low music
  21. craft — boats
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. branch — of a bank

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