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 give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. clip — a video
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wind — moving air
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. clip — for paper
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. branch — a division
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. wind — moving air
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. date — the fruit
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. clip — to cut
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. date — on the calendar

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