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: last · race · object · mug · clip · bound · racket · chair

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bound — certain
  3. mug — a face
  4. last — final
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bound — tied together
  8. mug — to rob
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. last — to go on
  11. chair — a leader
  12. object — an aim
  13. clip — a video
  14. race — the arms race
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bound — obliged
  18. race — humankind
  19. clip — for paper
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. object — a thing
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. race — a contest
  24. object — to protest

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