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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. race — a contest
  8. land — ground
  9. land — to come down
  10. clip — a video
  11. race — humankind
  12. clip — to cut
  13. pit — a hole
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. march — music
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. clip — for paper
  18. march — the month
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. land — a country
  24. march — the month

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