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: pit · current · race · kid · ball · game · capital · fall

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. pit — a hole
  3. game — a match
  4. kid — to tease
  5. race — the arms race
  6. fall — to drop
  7. race — humankind
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pit — in a race
  11. capital — a city
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. capital — money
  15. race — a contest
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. current — electric
  18. kid — child
  19. current — of water
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. ball — a dance
  22. fall — to drop
  23. current — happening now
  24. fall — the season

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