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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. toast — bread
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. object — a thing
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. cold — not warm
  9. march — the month
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. craft — boats
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. squash — to crush
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. object — to protest
  17. craft — a skill
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. rash — hasty
  20. cold — an illness
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. rash — a series
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. object — an aim

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