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 120 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wind — moving air
  3. face — part of the head
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. rest — what's left
  6. ball — a great time
  7. scale — size or range
  8. branch — a division
  9. spell — letters
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rest — a break
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. spell — magic
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. face — to confront
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. face — to point toward
  20. spell — a short time
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. rest — what's left
  23. ball — a dance
  24. scale — in music

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