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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. drill — a practice
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. mine — for digging
  11. chest — a box
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — a group
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. drill — army training
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. dip — to sink
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. chest — of your body
  23. club — for dancing
  24. dip — to dunk

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