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: track · tube · cell · cold · last · drill · current · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. drill — a practice
  3. last — final
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. track — a path
  6. drill — army training
  7. track — to keep track
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. drill — the tool
  10. race — humankind
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. race — a contest
  15. track — a song
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cell — a phone
  18. last — to go on
  19. tube — the underground
  20. current — happening now
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cell — in biology
  23. last — finally
  24. tube — a container

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