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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. mark — a grade
  4. cold — an illness
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mate — a partner
  7. present — a gift
  8. mate — a friend
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. row — a line
  12. mate — to breed
  13. cold — not warm
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — there
  16. row — to paddle
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mug — a cup
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mug — a face
  24. mark — a trace

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