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 120 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: cue · ground · shower · bear · rush · race · march · arm

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. march — music
  3. race — humankind
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. cue — for pool
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — a position
  9. march — the month
  10. bear — the animal
  11. shower — rain
  12. race — a contest
  13. cue — a hint
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cue — a signal
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. ground — crushed
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. march — the month
  22. race — the arms race
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bear — to put up with

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