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: ball · object · rest · nail · row · chair · race · spring

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a leader
  4. row — a line
  5. spring — of water
  6. race — humankind
  7. rest — what's left
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — the season
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. object — to protest
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. object — an aim
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. object — a thing
  18. race — a contest
  19. rest — a break
  20. ball — a dance
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. rest — what's left
  23. ball — a great time
  24. row — to paddle

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