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: race · rash · march · cabinet · foot · cell · saw · cue

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. cell — in biology
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. march — music
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cue — a hint
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. rash — a series
  11. cue — for pool
  12. race — the arms race
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cue — a signal
  15. march — the month
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. foot — a measure
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. march — the month
  22. rash — hasty
  23. race — humankind
  24. cabinet — ministers

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