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: field · craft · tube · chest · cell · race · stand · chair

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. chest — of your body
  3. field — farmland
  4. tube — the underground
  5. chest — a box
  6. stand — to bear
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — in biology
  9. race — humankind
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. cell — a phone
  16. field — for sport
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. craft — boats
  19. craft — a skill
  20. race — a contest
  21. chair — a leader
  22. field — a subject
  23. chest — of your body
  24. tube — a container

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