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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. sharp — clever
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. root — of a word
  6. staff — employees
  7. kid — child
  8. staff — a stick
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. root — the cause
  15. kid — to tease
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. root — of a plant
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. staff — employees
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. deal — to handle
  24. wind — moving air

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