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 · mark · cold · safe · spring · last · bore · mine

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — a contest
  5. bore — to tire
  6. last — to go on
  7. bore — to drill
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. last — final
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. race — the arms race
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mark — a trace
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. last — finally
  19. mine — for digging
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — the season
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. mark — a grade

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