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: squash · race · bat · sharp · tear · branch · mark · ball

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. race — the arms race
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. mark — a grade
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. tear — from crying
  11. ball — a great time
  12. sharp — clever
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — to crush
  15. race — humankind
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. ball — a dance
  18. branch — a division
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a trace
  24. bat — the animal

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