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: mark · cabinet · pound · saw · game · rush · face · race

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. game — a match
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. face — to confront
  6. saw — the tool
  7. race — humankind
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. race — the arms race
  10. pound — a weight
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. face — part of the head
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. race — a contest
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. mark — a trace
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mark — a grade
  22. face — to point toward
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. saw — the tool

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