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: club · bank · rule · current · race · bat · degree · tear

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. bank — for money
  3. current — of water
  4. tear — from crying
  5. current — electric
  6. bank — for money
  7. rule — a law
  8. club — for golf
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. rule — government
  11. bat — the animal
  12. race — a contest
  13. tear — to rip
  14. degree — an amount
  15. tear — from crying
  16. degree — from a university
  17. race — the arms race
  18. club — for dancing
  19. race — humankind
  20. bank — of a river
  21. degree — temperature
  22. current — happening now
  23. club — a group
  24. bat — in an idiom

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