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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. staff — employees
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. land — ground
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. file — a document
  8. staff — employees
  9. land — to come down
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. land — a country
  14. root — of a word
  15. craft — a skill
  16. root — of a plant
  17. craft — boats
  18. chip — for betting
  19. file — a tool
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. root — the cause
  22. chip — to eat
  23. file — a line of people
  24. staff — a stick

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