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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. game — wild animals
  4. club — for dancing
  5. spring — of water
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. club — for golf
  8. face — to confront
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. club — a group
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. spring — the season
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. spring — a coil
  19. face — part of the head
  20. mine — for digging
  21. game — a match
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mug — a cup
  24. face — to point toward

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