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: race · craft · stick · fan · saw · clip · kid · temple

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. race — a contest
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. saw — the tool
  5. clip — a video
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. clip — to cut
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. craft — a skill
  12. race — the arms race
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. saw — the tool
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. race — humankind
  17. clip — for paper
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. craft — boats
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — to tease

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