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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. saw — the tool
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cold — not warm
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. bass — the fish
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. kick — in football
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. file — a document
  13. cold — an illness
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. file — a tool
  18. bass — low music
  19. chip — to eat
  20. saw — the tool
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. chip — for betting
  23. file — a line of people
  24. cold — the Cold War

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