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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. row — a line
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. season — of the year
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. season — in sport
  13. chest — a box
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. bat — the animal
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. chest — of your body
  20. dip — to sink
  21. chest — of your body
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — to paddle

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