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: capital · bass · squash · arm · trunk · race · file · snap

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — to crush
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — humankind
  6. file — a line of people
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. file — a tool
  9. capital — a city
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bass — low music
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. file — a document
  17. bass — the fish
  18. race — the arms race
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. snap — to click
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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