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: racket · clip · trunk · scale · net · race · key · capital

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. key — in music
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. key — for a lock
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. clip — a video
  7. net — after costs
  8. capital — a city
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. key — the most important part
  11. capital — money
  12. race — a contest
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. race — humankind
  16. clip — for paper
  17. net — in sport
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. net — for catching
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. scale — size or range
  24. clip — to cut

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