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

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. season — in sport
  3. staff — employees
  4. clip — for paper
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. staff — a stick
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rash — hasty
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. season — of the year
  15. content — happy
  16. staff — employees
  17. rash — a series
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. content — the amount
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. clip — a video
  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