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: chest · band · race · field · sharp · plane · net · pit

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. field — farmland
  5. sharp — clever
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — a tool
  11. chest — of your body
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. race — humankind
  14. band — a ring
  15. race — a contest
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. chest — of your body
  18. net — after costs
  19. chest — a box
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. band — a music group
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. pit — in a race

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