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 water is too ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. shower — rain
  3. foot — a measure
  4. shower — to wash
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. last — finally
  8. pitch — completely
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. march — the month
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. march — music
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. last — final
  15. cold — an illness
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. last — to go on
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. march — the month
  24. pitch — a sports field

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