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: bat · rush · dip · arm · plane · saw · race · rule

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. rush — hurry
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. rule — government
  7. saw — the tool
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. race — humankind
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. race — the arms race
  12. dip — to sink
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. race — a contest
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bat — the animal
  21. plane — a tool
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rule — a law

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