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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cell — in biology
  5. chest — a box
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. swing — in golf
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. swing — to play on
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — to visit
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. cell — a phone
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pop — soda
  23. swing — music
  24. arm — part of the body

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