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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. charge — a price
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. march — the month
  5. chest — a box
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bass — the fish
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. chest — of your body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. march — the month
  16. charge — electricity
  17. chest — of your body
  18. march — music
  19. rash — a series
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. charge — in control
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. rash — on the skin

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