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 120 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: ball · race · chip · wound · cold · club · lean · stand

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. chip — for betting
  3. wound — an injury
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. club — for dancing
  6. cold — not warm
  7. club — for golf
  8. lean — to bend
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. stand — to bear
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. chip — to eat
  13. race — humankind
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wound — an injury
  16. club — a group
  17. cold — an illness
  18. ball — a dance
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a great time
  22. lean — thin
  23. race — the arms race
  24. stand — on your feet

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