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: pit · race · safe · season · mark · capital · hand · roll

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. hand — help
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — money
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. race — humankind
  9. roll — a cake
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. race — the arms race
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. mark — a grade
  15. pit — in a race
  16. mark — a trace
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. hand — in cards
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. season — in sport
  23. race — a contest
  24. season — of the year

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