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 116 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: field · pitch · shower · saw · race · wind · hide · mine

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. race — humankind
  6. field — a subject
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. field — for sport
  9. pitch — completely
  10. race — a contest
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — rain
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. field — farmland
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wind — moving air
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. saw — the tool
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. wind — moving air
  24. hide — to keep secret

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