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 · hand · bat · vault · net · game · pitch · hide

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. hand — help
  4. race — humankind
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. net — after costs
  9. game — a match
  10. net — in sport
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. race — the arms race
  13. vault — a safe
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bat — the animal
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. net — for catching
  24. race — a contest

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