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: drill · tear · cap · saw · rule · race · swing · bass

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. swing — to play on
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rule — government
  6. race — humankind
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. drill — army training
  10. tear — to rip
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. cap — a lid
  13. race — a contest
  14. cap — of ice
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. tear — from crying
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — low music
  21. rule — a law
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — a practice
  24. race — the arms race

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