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: wound · race · bat · sharp · arm · stand · rock · board

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bat — the animal
  3. stand — to bear
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. wound — an injury
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. rock — music
  13. race — the arms race
  14. wound — an injury
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. race — a contest
  17. board — a committee
  18. rock — a stone
  19. sharp — clever
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. race — humankind
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. board — to get on

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